Reykjavik grapevine issue 9, 2016

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Culture:

News & Life

++ Seth Sharp + Every Concert

++ All kinds of football coverage

Lord Pusswhip Our New Katrín Braga President

Issue 9 × 2016

July 1 - July 14

Travel

Þórsmörk Snæfellsnes ++ Bobby Fischer + Selfoss

www.grapevine.is

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

In This Issue

FEATURE

NEW PRESIDENT

Meet Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, his wife Eliza and what they really think about football.

P:22

FRESH

Presidential Elections What’s fresh in Iceland right now is the presidential elections. My goodness, what a result. After waiting a whole generation for a new President, now we can finally have a new one for at least another four years: historian

Guðni Th. Jóhannesson. We should bear in mind, though, that the current constitution has no set term limits for the presidency. As such, our new President may be in power for another 20 years. However, Guðni did tell us

ANALYSIS

FOOTBALL EVERYTHING P:30

British turncoats, assimilated Americans + Are we all going crazy? in a recent interview that “I think no president should be at Bessastaðir for more than three terms,” and he seems like a mensch, so he’ll likely keep his word, too.

TRAVEL THE HOT

MAJESTIC ÞÓRSMÖRK P:60

BUTTON

Snæfellsnes is just so great + Selfoss and Bobby Fischer’s final resting place

Football The hot button of this issue is football. What makes this issue especially hot right now is that seldom before has Iceland’s sports world attracted so much international attention. Perhaps due to the novelty of the Icelandic men’s team making it to the European

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Championships for the first time, the team’s playing has been widely reported on, but likewise our Twitter feed’s coverage of the matches, announcer Gummi Ben’s spirited narration of the action, and even Icelandic fans’ football chants have been the subjects of

actual sports news articles. It is hard to remember the last time the international press scrutinised our sports life with such attention to detail, and it’s for this reason that football is the Hot Button of this issue.

SHARE: gpv.is/hot9

news editor Paul Fontaine paul@grapevine.is

sales director Aðalsteinn Jörundsson adalsteinn@grapevine.is Helgi Þór Harðarson helgi@grapevine.is

travel editor John Rogers john@grapevine.is culture editor Hrefna Björg Gylfadóttir hrefnab@grapevine.is photo editor Art Bicnick art@grapevine.is

publisher Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson hilmar@grapevine.is +354 540 3601 publisher@grapevine.is

copy editor Mark Asch

managing editor Helga Þórey Jónsdóttir editor@grapevine.is

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advertising +354 540 3605 ads@grapevine.is

illustrations Inga María Brynjarsdóttir Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir

contributing writers Ari Trausti Guðmundsson Bob Cluness Davíð Roach Eunsan Huh Grayson Del Faro Lord Pusswhip Magnús Sveinn Helgason Mark Asch Nanna Dís Árnadóttir York Underwood editorial interns Geidi Raud geidi@grapevine.is Kelley Rees kelley@grapevine.is Isaac Würmann isaac@grapevine.is contributing photographers Anna Domnick Geidi Raud Hrefna Björg Gylfadóttir Isaac Würmann Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson

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The Reykjavík Grapevine is published 18 times a year by Fröken ltd.

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P:60

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the timeless

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

SOUR GRAPES

warmth

Your Letters

Dear Grapevine and the people of Iceland,

of Iceland

Hi Julia!

I would like to congratulate you on your historic football win.

www.arnartr.com

England continue to live in the days of empire where they believe they are better than anyone else. Iceland has shown them for what they are, overpaid and bloated with a sense of their own importance.

Most of Scotland was supporting you last night and your fans were the best I have ever seen on a football match. I know I speak for most of Scotland when I say congratulations and I am supporting your nation to win the cup.

Well Done.

Julia Campbell

Thank you, and thank Scotland for your support! All this smiting is hard work, and we appreciate your words of encouragement.

We could feel the rumblings of Scottish fans across the Atlantic (or was that an earthquake?), so when we win the cup we’ll be sure to include the good Scots in our list of people to thank. (Alongside everyone who offered their booze and young children to Odin for an Iceland win, of course!)

In return, we promise you full Icelandic support next time Scotland makes it to a major international sporting tournament.

Happy smiting, – The Grapevine

#GVPICS

LOVELIEST LETTER: FREE GRAPEVINE T! Check it out! Whoever sent in this issue's LOVELIEST LETTER gets a free Grapevine T-shirt. DON’T PANIC if your letter wasn’t found to be this issue's loveliest. You can still get a tee for a low, low price over our website, www.grapevine.is/ subscriptions

@doleyres

INSTAGRAM COMPETITION

This Issue's Winners

Each week, we run an Instagram competition to win a Grapevine t-shirt. The winning pictures are posted to our account— @rvkgrapevine—and also right here in the magazine. Just tag your pictures with #GVpics to enter. Here are the winning shots from the last two weeks by @doleyres and @julli_jonsson.

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

FOR AND AGAINST

Sports for some reason actual athletic achievement bores you to tears.

How about we make a deal: you keep your shitty opinions of sports to yourself, and I won’t come to your weekly Cards Against Humanity party to tell you how awful your hobby is? Deal? Deal.

I’m glad we had this talk.

AGAINST

FOR Oh, look. It’s my Facebook feed. And what do I see? It’s the same four or five dudes announcing they don’t like football.

There’s an Xkcd comic, and there’s that one webcomic about “sportsing” that gets spammed like it’s the most hilarious thing in the world every single time it’s shared.

Guys, I get it. You’re a sneering classist who thinks sports are for unsophisticated yokels and rubes. You cannot imagine feeling a sense of camaraderie with your fellow human beings over the victory or defeat of a group of paid professional performers. You’ll spend hours talking about the performance of some shitty shoegaze band you saw last weekend, but

POEM A Poem By Kári Páll Óskarsson

hemmed in truncated decapitated such words and more we’ve been given such is the space we’re allotted A POEM BY is curated by Grapevine’s poetry liaison, Jón Örn Loðmfjörð

Oh, look. It’s my Facebook feed. And what do I see? It must be a sports game, because it’s just a series of statuses saying “Jááááááááááááá!” and “ÁFRAM ÍSLAND!!!” and other such jingoist, barely coherent cries of primate aggression.

Guys, I get it. You’re a sneering antiintellectual trying hard to cling to your quickly fading youth and deteriorating body by living vicariously through other people far fitter and wealthier than you will ever be. You rip your hair out about the idea of actual artists receiving pittance government subsidies, but when that same government pours millions into a new stadium, you’re dancing in the streets.

How about we make a deal: you keep your poo-flinging aggressive chimp behavior out of my Facebook feed, and I won’t come to your local sports bars and stand in a dark corner while shaking my head disapprovingly at you. Deal? Deal.

I’m glad we had this talk. .

SHARE: gpv.is/fa9

Figures Don't Lie

99.6% The percentage of Icelanders who watched Iceland play Hungary

8% The percentage of the entire population currently in France for Euro 2016

WORD OF

0

THE ISSUE:

Þvílíkt og annað eins The word of the issue this issue is þvílíkt og annað eins. While not a word but a phrase, this is still a very important set of words to know. It literally means “such things and other alike,” but more loosely translates as “that was something else.” You don’t need to know how to learn it in a sentence, because it can stand on its own. Be sure and shout this so loudly you crack your voice whenever Iceland scores a goal.

The number of Icelanders who have been arrested for violent behaviour at the matches

53,761 The number of #ronaldotears that have fallen since Iceland’s 1-1 victory over Portugal

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

INTERVIEW

“Never has my motivation for moving here [...] come under such scrutiny as during Euro 2016”

Words JOHN ROGERS Photo ART BICNICK

My Own Private Brexit An English Euro 2016 Defector Speaks

Share this article: GPV.IS/BRX As an Englishman who decamped to Iceland permanently several years ago, the question of “but… why?” has been a fixture in almost every first-meeting conversation I’ve had in that time. I’ve developed a stock answer, accordingly: “You know what? I just really like the place. It makes me happy.”

Rarely has this answer proved satisfactory. People prod for a better one, asking whether there was some romantic interest involved, or whether I’d found work here. Sometimes, I’ll do an exploratory ramble, trying to satisfy them by talking about the warm and welcoming artistic community, walking out of the front door in the morning and being amongst the mountains and sea, the fresh air, the clean water, the pools, the people, the nightlife, the sense of space that individuals are afforded, the low crime, the lack of oppressive policing, or advertising, and the “clean”-feeling psychological environment. The answer

HERO OF THE ISSUE

is never tidy. It cannot be put simply—I have never successfully crystallised it, even to myself.

Howay the lads But never has my motivation for moving here and my odd, instinctual, deeply felt allegiance to the place come under such scrutiny as during Euro 2016. This football tournament—and, specifically, the flashpoint of England vs. Iceland—created a national identity friction point that seemed to demand an answer.

Because football, for better or worse, runs in English blood. I’ve supported England since boyhood, and, as someone with a Geordie family, idolised players like Peter Beardsley, Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer (who I would, ironically, end up arguing with via the Grapevine’s Twitter account after the game). I watched England crash out of the Italia 1990 semi-finals with my heart in my

Democracy

Art Bicnick

The hero of the issue this issue is democracy. As this is written, Iceland is embracing their new President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson with considerable jubilation (with the possible exception of the other candidates and their supporters). The candidates were interviewed or set upon each other in debates so many times that Icelanders actually started complaining about seeing too much of them and hearing their platforms, leaving little room for griping about a poorly informed electorate. We witnessed the regional ballot counting live on television, and by night’s end, the largest share of votes had clearly and transparently gone to a single candidate. While there is still a dispute over one round of offsite voting ballots, by and large the Icelandic presidential elections were informed, fair and transparent, and it’s for this reason that democracy is this issue’s hero of the issue.

mouth, and shed tears again when they lost in the semi-finals of Euro ’96.

But back then, the English game was different. The players didn’t seem like a privileged millionaire elite—they felt like “our lads.” They fought, they bled, they won and lost, they celebrated and cried alongside the supporters, and we knew as we watched in the living room, the pub, or on an outdoor screen, that they were with us, and we were with them.

Playing for the people That’s no longer the case. For a complex menu of reasons, there’s a national identity crisis taking place in England. It's been a long time coming. We don’t feel represented by our politicians, leading to both apathy and bitter internal division. We’re not sure of our place in the world—as illustrated by Brexit 1—and we live within the pervasive legacy of a heavily stratified class system culmi-

VILLAIN OF THE ISSUE

Financial Times

nating in an egregious North/South wealth divide. Unlike France, or many former English colonies, we never had a revolution or “declared independence” from our own objectionably hyper-privileged monarchy. And we sure as hell don’t feel represented by our sportsmen, who, for the most part, live the kind of showboating, blinging lifestyles that invites either jealousy or derision, depending on your point of view. As someone who never really “felt English” in the first place, it’s enough to finalise my personal Brexit.

So when the whistle blew for the beginning of Iceland vs Portugal, I knew right away where my heart lay. The spirit, togetherness, and ability of Icelandic team has been spectacular. They play international football how it should be played. They play for the people of Iceland, because they are the people of Iceland. And even as an English immigrant, I’m very proud to cheer them on.

Democracy The villain of the issue this issue is democracy. The whole world watched in stunned disbelief as Brexit came to pass. The Leave campaign, which managed to squeak in a win, hinged their entire campaign on half-truths and outright lies about the EU in general and immigrants in particular. They played up to a pitchfork-wielding mob mentality to run all the outlanders off their precious emerald isle. By appealing to people’s worst fears, regardless of how detached from reality they were, Leave managed to convince people that majority rule was more important than human rights. Pretty much everything about it spat in the face of the concept of the Informed Voter, undermining the entire process. This was so easily done that it’s downright shameful, and it’s for this reason that democracy is this issue’s villain of the issue.

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10

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

Our top story this issue is the presidential BRIEF elections, which were held on June 25. The winner was historian Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, who will be assuming the office on August 1, ending the 20-year reign of outgoing President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. However, some legitimate concerns have been raised about how offsite voting was conducted, and those complaints have reached the Supreme Court.

Some of the losing candidates were pretty sore about the whole affair, with many of them choosing to blame the media for their poor showing. A strange complaint, as over the course of the past few weeks you could not avoid seeing interviews and debates with all of these people. Well, they have four years to try their luck again.

NEWS IN

In other presidential news, none other than Donald Trump has been reaching out for donations—from Icelandic members of parliament. Regardless of where on the political spectrum they are, every member of the Althingi received a plea from the Big D asking for cash. The idea is not only bizarre but illegal, as accepting financial contributions from foreign nationals is prohibited by the United States Code.

Fortunately, no Icelandic MP has answered the call to Make America Great Again (at least, no one has admitted to doing so).

Game On! How This Otaku Learned To Appreciate Football Words & Photo ISAAC WÜRMANN Share this article: GPV.IS/NUN

While most of the world was largely shruggo about our elections, Icelandic football seems to have captured the international imagination. This was especially the case Monday evening, as Iceland smote England, 2-1, in a game that came to the surprise of nearly everyone except Iceland. We will now be moving on to France, bringing the same amount of heart we’ve brought to every game we’ve played.

My hatred of sport goes way back.

When you grow up with such interests as Dungeons & Dragons, anime and videogames, the kids who are into things like football and basketball are your mortal enemies. Sure, it’s a cliché, but it’s not without a kernel of truth. It’s only exacerbated by colleges that put undue preference on their athletes, and stars, both amateur and professional, who are shielded from the consequences when they behave atrociously. And that’s not to mention the astonishing levels of corruption one finds in international sports organisations such as FIFA. While all these problems are real, it would be a mistake to write off sports altogether because of them.

The recording industry is also rife with problems, but you don’t see people sneering at those who like music.

There’s a kind of snobbery, motivated partially by classism, behind a lot of the condescension towards sports and sports fans. It’s embarrassing to see

supposedly “cultured” folks looking down their noses at even the idea of enjoying a good game.

Admittedly, I only just learned the rules of football this year, after months of watching my friends play FIFA 15. But I’ve come to believe football culture is culture. It’s just working-class culture. And when you start to engage, you realise that sport can be an art in itself.

Playing football is an exercise in continuous improvisation. Even if you work on skills and set pieces until they’re muscle memory, once you get on the pitch, you’re thrown into a sea of chaos. Strategies must be devised, and adapted, with split-second quickness as you try to navigate a constantly changing, fluid environment. Even watching and interpreting a game is an exercise in artistic interpretation.

When we talk about a team’s performance, we talk about intent, achievement, strategies, statistics, strengths and weaknesses; what qualities could

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and should have been emphasised, what could have been done differently, and how the performance could be made more effective.

Personally, a lot of the nationalism that accompanies a high-stakes international sports game turns my stomach. But, apart from the rotten apples you’ll find anywhere in life, nobody seems particularly pleased when nationalism translates into hooliganism and violence. Other forms of violent nationalism could do with the same level of criticism.

I won’t deny the endemic problems of professional sports, just as I wouldn’t deny the endemic problems of the recording industry, the film industry, or the arts world at large. But these problems also won’t keep me from enjoying any of these things on their own merits. Football is art. It is a valuable form of culture. And you don’t have to like football to let other people enjoy it.

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

INTERVIEW

NEWS IN

One of Iceland’s premiere music festivals, BRIEF Secret Solstice, experienced considerable trouble this year. The crux of the problem seemed to be selling thousands more tickets than the Laugardalshöll stadium, the venue for festival headliners Radiohead, had capacity to hold.

Complicating matters further was Die Antwoord having their flight to Iceland delayed, prompting organisers to have to move their concert indoors.

Numerous attendees complained of long and poorly organised lines. To their credit, Secret Solstice organisers did apologise for the chaos, and some attendees may receive a refund for their trouble.

If you’re reading this on Friday, July 1, and were wondering what to do with yourself this weekend, you might be happy to know that tomorrow there will be a waterslide on Bankastræti.

Sponsored by the Icelandic telecom Nova, the slide will presumably extend from the portion of Bankastræti blocked to car traffic down to Lækjargata, at the very furthest. Keep all your fingers crossed that the weather will be conducive to watersliding.

It’s been awhile since we had some news on tourists behaving questionably to report, so you can imagine our relief at seeing a news story about a tourist camping on a golf course. The intrepid camper was spotted at the 14th hole by a group of Icelanders playing a late-night round. Far from being angry or upset, the Icelanders in question were bemused by the discovery.

In defense of the tourist in question, he said he was forced to camp for the night when he blew out a tire on his bike. Let that be a lesson to would-be cyclists in Iceland: remember to pack a patching kit and some extra tubes.

A Contemporary Twist To An Old Friendship The núna (now) festival explores artistic connections between Reykjavík and Winnipeg

The historic connections between Reykjavík and Winnipeg run deep, but these days the cultural connections between the two cities may run even deeper. The núna (now) festival, which is in its tenth year, brings IceShare this article: landic artists to Canada each sumGPV.IS/NUN mer, affirming deep international bonds through art and music.

Winnipeg is the capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba, where thousands of people are descended from Icelanders who left their homeland in the late 19th century. In Gimli, a town just an hour north of Winnipeg, Icelandic flags flap proudly on the shores of a lake that stands in for the Atlantic, and the annual Íslendingadagurinn festival celebrates the region’s unique history of Icelandic settlement.

Words & Photo ISAAC WÜRMANN

Finding Common Ground Núna (now) curator Karina Hanney Marrero says the goal of the festival is to consider that historic connection between Iceland and Manitoba, but with a “contemporary twist.”

Karina, who recently moved to Winnipeg from Reykjavík, says she sees

many similarities between the two cities. “Winnipeg is so vibrant! And you would never know that, but it is so vibrant,” she says. “And maybe being that surprised about it is also sort of parallel to Iceland. Like, how does this small population produce so much stuff?”

This year, núna (now) is bringing rap collective Reykjavíkurdætur and visual artists Rúri and Hekla Dögg Jónsdóttir to Winnipeg for the festival. One of the first things Karina noticed about Winnipeg was its emerging hip-hop scene. “So when I started thinking about projects for this year, that was the first thing that came to mind,” she says. “I was like, ‘Yep! I’m bringing the Daughters of Reykjavík over.’”

“I know it’s really tacky and cheesy to say so, but there is a creative kind of energy that the winter brings,” Karina explains when asked why Reykjavík and Winnipeg—two cities known for their volatile weather—have such thriving art communities. “The winter sucks, but it produces art, it produces projects and films and music.

Simply because you’re stuck inside.”

Exchanging Ideas Núna (now)’s main exhibition for this year, which is being held at a number of Winnipeg galleries, opened on June 10. Rúri and Hekla are representing Iceland in the exhibition, and their work is being displayed alongside that of prominent Canadian artists, such as Kent Monkman and Rebecca Belmore.

The exhibition runs until July 23.

The initial goal of núna (now) was for Canadian artists to also travel and share their art in Reykjavík, but that has only happened twice in the festival's ten-year history. “It’s really hard to plan anything in Reykjavík if you’re not there,” Karina says. “But the ideal dream would be to have the festival every other year in each place.”

Until then, núna (now) is making sure that the cultural ties between Canada and Iceland remain relevant.

“We try to think about artists who are on the rise in Iceland, and younger artists,” Karina says. “Giving them exposure and bringing them over and having them perform and exhibit in a totally different continent is such a good opportunity for them.”

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16

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

STRANGE BREW

“We are the World...”

101 Rvk’s bar workers get to see world geopolitics from their pumps…

As told to BOB CLUNESS Photo ART BICNICK Share this article: GPV.IS/NUN

“Iceland likes to think of itself as a global playa. Now that the tourist season is now in full swing, we bar workers, along with other tourist industry grunts, get to see and experience the world and its inhabitants up close. Most shifts it’s like the bloody rainbow nations up here – Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa most nationalities often come in asking 'Do you have any local beers?' (yes we do), followed by 'Do you take euros/ dollars/yen?' (no we don’t).

“Now, while national stereotypes are often crass and reductionist, we’re starting to notice several national traits among you citizens of the world, and some of these traits are more unpalatable than others.

Of course there are some nations you enjoy serving. Canadians are always just super to serve and talk to. The Japanese are just lovely, and young Japanese people are always smiling so much. Most Norwegians you deal with are nice, yet seem to talk in a stream-of-consciousness as if they were a character from a Karl Ove Knausgård novel. It’s like a bizarre form of anti-comedy. It cracks us up most of the time.

“Many locals often come to us going 'Oh, you must hate having to serve beer to stupid, loud Americans.' On the contrary. Thing is the USA is one

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of the biggest countries in the world with a population of over 300 million people. There are dozens of 'Americas' and we get them all. And nearly all of them are polite, tip well, and are almost pathologically friendly.

Of course their politeness can be a bit unnerving to us foul Europeans; it’s really weird having a gnarly guy in his eighties calling you 'Sir.' But as a friend pointed out, the US is a country with a lot of guns and a lot of itchy trigger fingers, so an embedded sense of politeness might be necessary.

“However there are just some nationalities that when they walk into the bar just make your hearts sink.

It’s different for some people – for one bar comrade, it’s the Scandinavians because they insist on ordering in their own languages, are often loud and obnoxious, and spit fucking mouth tobacco all over the floor.

For another, it’s Spanish tourists because when they get drunk, they start acting like they’re in a soap opera. Meanwhile, many male tourists from Greenland and Russia get really drunk reeeeeeeally quickly, and often try to do some 'crazy' stunts that involves jumping off your tables.

“But the worst experiences with nationalities, the ones that make your teeth itch? Well that honour goes to two distinct nationalities.

The first are those subset of British tourists who, upon finding out that you’re British, immediately start demanding things like control of the PA jukebox or free drinks 'Cos it’s her Birthday!!' It then subsequently kicks off when their cries of 'Why the fuck not??? Aren’t you Scottish?? We have a bond here!' is met with a simple but stern, 'No, there is no bond. You do not get free drinks because of where I was born.'

“But by far and away the worst nation to deal with are the French. Older French tourists are rude and miserable, while barking orders at you in French. Once you point out to them that you do not speak French, they are forced to speak in English which is something they hate. Younger French tourists meanwhile seem to flock in groups like bewildered flamingos, unsure of where they are or what they’re doing. Meanwhile, locals and other tourists who’ve actually stepped into a bar once in their lives stand waiting to be served with faces of thunder at the chaos before them. In terms of world geopolitics, it’s funny that the Brits and French can’t get over the fact that they really don’t matter that much anymore, but at least the British in general have the grace to be a bit embarrassed by it all...”

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18

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

Amazing 7 course menu

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"I was actually given the option of second tier of VIP personnel –behind the glass, presumably being able to sip champagne or something.

But I much preferred being in the thick of it.

I realise that once I’m elected President, my room to maneuver changes a bit, but since I haven’t officially assumed office yet, I was thrilled to be able to cheer on the team with my fellow Icelanders, hug people I’ve never met before, cheer and cry tears of joy, and all the other things you do when you witness a spectacular event such as this."

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An on-site hot dog stand ensures you can experience almost everything you would want from a pool trip in Iceland. Except a decent sauna, which is a shame. But, to be fair, the steam bath is pretty intense. It is certainly the best example of the narrow, claustrophobia-inducing and dimly lit plastic tanks that pools in the Reykjavík area used to offer, providing a unique impression of how it feels to be a piece of broccoli in a steam cooker.

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

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HISTORY

The Master Goldsmith And His Mysterious 130-Year-Old Book Words & Photos: GEIDI RAUD Share this article: GPV.IS/130Y “It was 1965 when I first met my wife,” recalls local sculptor and master gold and silversmith Ófeigur Björnsson, as he begins telling a mysterious story that took place in his household more than 50 years ago. “Just a couple of days after meeting her, I found an old book in my bookcase. My bookcase was not very full at this time, and I didn’t recognise this book. I had never seen it before.” Ófeigur was intrigued, and asked if his family knew anything about this odd appearance. “They had never seen it before, either,” he recalls.

There was one clue—the book had been signed by its owner, Jón A. Ólafsson. “I didn’t know this name at all,” says Ófeigur. “Some days passed, and then it simply vanished—when I walked by my bookcase one day, it wasn’t there anymore.”

got married to his beloved, Hildur Bolladóttir. “We established a new home together,” he recalls.

“And then, one day, I found the book right there in the bookcase.

For some odd reason, it had come back. We hadn’t taken it with us.

Who did, I don’t know.”

As Ófeigur got to know more about his wife’s family, he was told that this book had been owned and signed by Hildur’s great-grandfather. “And there was no question about it—he had been dead all this time,” he says. “This is the most mysterious thing that has ever happened to me.”

The book was published in 1886, and is mostly about legal matters. For example, one chapter describes how to apply for a job. Ófeigur hasn’t read it thoroughly, just occasionally browsed its pages.

Law and lore

Ófeigur Björnsson and his wife currently live in downtown Reykjavík, where they run their family

Years went by. In 1969 Ófeigur

A family affair

business. Ófeigur makes jewellery with lava and other natural materials, and also creates sculptures.

Hildur is a master dressmaker and designer. One of their sons, Bolli Ófeigsson, also works with his father as a master gold and silversmith. The business is wellregarded—on the day I visited, the former President of Iceland, 86-year-old Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, was in the shop.

The book now stands on the bookshelf in Ófeigur’s workroom.

“I hold it close to me,” he admits.

“Maybe the book is the reason why me and my wife are so creative, and deal with handicraft.”

I wonder if there are great secrets written there, using invisible ink, that the spirit of the owner wants to share with him. “It may be so,” laughs the puzzled Ófeigur.

“I just don’t know.”

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True Crime Iceland: The Hitchiker Murder

“I was only planning to scare them.”

Skaftafell

The Sæluhús where the attack happened

I was only planning to scare them. I placed one shot into the rifle, which I carried in one hand, and held wire in the other hand, to be used to bind their hands so I could drive them both to the police station without incident. When they answered the door, the first girl wrestled for my rifle, setting it off. The recoil kicked the butt of the rifle into her head. She began fighting back, so I struck her with the butt of the gun until she was unconscious. The other girl fled out into the country. I followed her in my car as she staggered in and out of the ditch before attempting to flag down a truck driver—overreaching and slamming into the truck’s passenger-side fender before collapsing on the road’s shoulder. I placed another shot in my rifle and walked over to help her up. She was clinging to the side of the truck, bleeding.

A Ride To “Joy House” On Monday, August 16, 1982, two sisters were hitchhiking in the South of Iceland, a common travelling method among tourists. In fact, it’s the most common pitch this magazine receives, with the obligatory headline, “Thumps Up! Hitchhiking Around Iceland.” The testimony you read above is from the convicted murderer Grétar Sigurður Árnason. It was he who picked up the hitchhiking sisters Yvette and Marie Bauhaud.

Grétar dropped the sisters off at a small cabin in the countryside called

Grétar's car & Yvette's body

a Sæluhús or “Joy House.” By the next morning, August 17, Yvette was missing and Marie was being attended to at a medical centre in Höfn.

Marie’s Court Testimony I wanted to go to Norway. I never understood why we came to Iceland. Maybe it was my sister’s idea. Once you’re backpacking around Iceland, you know you’re going to be there a while. We visited Jökulsá at Breiðamerkursandur, and still needed to get to Skaftafell. I don’t remember whose idea it was, mine or my sister’s, but we decided to hitchhike.

A car stopped to pick us up. The driver must have been between 40 and 45 years old. He put our luggage in the trunk. I take the passenger seat and my sister sits in the back. I never noticed a rifle. He told us his job was to protect the area and help tourists whose cars had broken down.

We get the impression he’s some sort of sheriff or something. He spoke English really well, so he must deal with tourists regularly. He took us to a cabin called Sæluhús. The first thing we did was write a “thank you” to him in the guest book.

My sister wakes me up and tells me there’s a man at the door. She answers the door. It’s the man who gave us a ride.

He’s strangely calm for a man shining a flashlight with one hand and holding a rifle with the other. It’s around 11:30 at night. He accused my sister and me of having drugs, saying he can smell cannabis and he wants us to come with him to

By York Underwood Additional Reporting and Translating by Hrefna Björg Gylfadóttir

the police station at Höfn. There’s no way we would let him take us all the way to Höfn. We let him search our bags, but we demanded to see some identification. We wanted to know if he really was a sheriff. He showed us a random card with his name on it. It looked bogus and we told him we weren’t going anywhere. He was angry. He wanted us to listen to him. He ran out of the cabin and came back with some metal wire. That’s when my sister and I got really scared. We pleaded with him to just leave us alone. He left the cabin again and came back with a large rock clutched in his hand. I stepped in front of my sister to protect her. He started bashing me with the rock and I collapsed to the floor. He hit my sister too, but she ran out of the cabin’s front door. I tried to stop him from following her, grasping at his pant leg. He bent over and hammered the rock onto my head, knocking me out.

I woke up to a gunshot followed by a scream. Everything was still, absolute silence. I heard the car start and pull away.

Then it’s silent again. I couldn’t move. I worried he was still out there. After a few moments I wrapped myself in a sleeping bag and peeked through the door. I could see a car, but I was scared it was him, so I didn’t do anything at first. Then I saw it’s a police car and I ran out to stop them.

They put me in the back and asked me what happened. They drove me to Skaftafell, but I still didn’t know where my sister was.

What Happened To Yvette?

Police Officer Hreggviður Sverrison was informed about the case at 2:00 in the morning on Tuesday, August 17. He began his investigation at 4:20 when he arrived at Sæluhús. Inside, the cabin was empty except for two bags, two mangled wires, a pool of blood and a pair of glasses. No hash was found, or evidence of hash use. The guestbook was signed by the two sisters followed by a signature that just read, “Sheriff.”

The police went to Grétar’s house and questioned his wife. Grétar had told his wife he was going to help a vehicle that had broken down, and that was the last she had heard from him.

On August 19, at 8:50, the police located Grétar’s car at Neskvísl. Inside the trunk they found Yvette’s body, lying face-up with red froth coming from her mouth. There was no evidence of a struggle within the trunk, so investigators concluded she had been dead before Grétar had put her there.

Grétar wasn’t found until the next morning; he had hidden in a cave partially covered by a large rock. When the police found him they could see him asleep on his side in the cave, looking outward with one eye open.

The police noticed he had a rifle with him and when they went to grab it, Grétar pulled the gun towards himself, cracked it open and removed the shells. “I wasn’t going to use it on you,

my boys. This was all an accident,” he told the police as they moved the rock and escorted him out of the cave. Grétar’s car was visible from the cave.

Grétar told the police that killing Yvette was an accident. He never took her to the hospital because he real-

ized she was already dead and no one would believe him. He had gone up into the cave to kill himself, scratching a suicide note on the shaft of his rifle: “They had hash and when I told them to come with me to the office,

they attacked me. I know I messed up because you’d never believe me.”

Grétar was sentenced to sixteen years in prison. He was released over twenty years ago and lives in a retirement home in Iceland. Marie lives in France.

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INTRODUCING THE 6TH PRESIDENT OF ICELAND

Guðni Th. Jóhannesson AND FIRST LADY

Eliza Reid

WRITTEN BY PAUL FONTAINE, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ART BICNICK

From The Past To The Future AN INTERVIEW WITH OUR NEW PRESIDENT, GUÐNI TH. JÓHANNESSON

In the wake of the recent presidential elections, Guðni and family have been pretty busy people. As he’s our first new head of state in a generation, we wanted to find out what we were all getting into, so the Grapevine snagged a few minutes out of his hectic schedule to talk about history, football, and the future of Iceland.

I’ve seen more than a few people draw comparisons between your campaign and those of Sanders, Corbyn, and Trudeau, as all having in common this break from the past. Do you see yourself as a part of that?

Yes and no. We’re talking about a post here in Iceland that’s partly ceremonial, and partly political. The President of Iceland does play a role in the political process, and he or she has indirect influence by being able to put on the agenda issues of concern. So yes, I think people wanted change in this regard. I am of course of a different generation than the outgoing President. I’m the first President of Iceland born while Iceland was a republic. I ask people to keep in mind though that the President of Iceland does not play a political role similar to Trudeau, or political players like Corbyn or Sanders.

So there is a difference there.

I understand you’ve just returned from watching Iceland play against England in France. What was the environment like down there,

surrounded by all these Icelanders celebrating this incredible game?

It was unbelievable. I am a sports fan, so it’s nothing new to me to go to a game and cheer on the national team, wearing the team jersey and all that. I was actually given the option of sitting in the second tier of VIP personnel— behind the glass, presumably being able to sip champagne or something.

But I much prefered being in the thick of it. I realise that once I’m President, my room to maneuver changes a bit, but since I haven’t officially assumed office yet, I was thrilled to be able to cheer on the team with my fellow Icelanders, hug people I’ve never met before, cheer and cry tears of joy, and all the other things you do when you witness a spectacular event such as this.

What are you most looking forward to when you do officially assume office?

I most look forward to being able to influence society. I have worked for decades now as an academic and an historian, and my aim has always been to connect with the public. There’s always a danger in academia that you end up losing touch with the public, or you only write for a very specialised field of academics. You get stuck in the ivory tower. I, however, have always felt that it is the duty of academics to influence the public vision of your field, and in my case it happens to be his-

tory, so I wanted to be able to say that my work changes the way people look at the past. Now, I want to change the way people look at the present and the future. It’s the same object, but a different time frame.

When we last spoke, your book on the 2008 economic crash, 'Hrunið', had just come out.

Looking back now, what are the lessons that we need to learn from this time going forward, to keep history from repeating itself?

Pride comes before a fall. As a historian, I felt that in the years prior to the collapse, almost as a nation but definitely the business and political elite had lost their footing a bit. They had created the false image of an economic boom based on Icelandic superiority. This idea that Icelandic businessmen—not businesspersons, because it was a male-dominated world—somehow had an advantage in the world of international finance because they were the descendents of vikings and voyagers who dared when others hesitated. And we learned that this was all untrue. They were just better at borrowing money than others and worse at repaying. So let us be proud, as a nation, but let’s show modesty as well.

Let’s keep both feet on the ground, because people with confidence do not need to boast. That is the lesson we can take from the collapse, and that is the message I want to bring when I influence the present and the future.

Eliza Reid—once a Grapevine food reviewer—has been working as a journalist and writer in Iceland for over a decade, and is now Iceland’s new First Lady. The Grapevine touched based with Eliza to see what the future holds for her and the country.

Eliza Reid ICELAND’S CANADIAN FIRST LADY

I imagine the Canadian press has been all over this. Is it overwhelming getting all this media attention, from two countries?

It’s not overwhelming, but it’s certainly a change! We actually have someone booking all the interviews for us now. I just feel so fortunate to be in this position, so it’s no problem.

What are you most looking forward to as a part of the presidency? What do you believe will be the most challenging?

I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to meet people from around Iceland, and to help promote Iceland and its culture to the rest of the world.

I probably cannot even imagine what the most challenging dimension will be, but I guess having to pick and

choose between events and balancing that with family life, especially in making sure our kids make the transition to their new home and school smoothly.

How do you view your role in this new position?

My sense at this early stage is that I can shape it as I wish. Of course I will be by Guðni’s side during official and ceremonial functions, but I also hope to be able to actively participate and assist in ways where I can be of benefit, perhaps giving speeches, meeting people and helping with various causes.

As an immigrant to Iceland who is now moving into this influential position, what kind of relationship do you hope to have with the immigrant community? Do you believe there are expectations placed upon you in this role?

I think that the fact that Guðni has been elected with a foreign-born wife helps to show that Iceland is generally a very tolerant and open-minded country. I have not experienced any negative sentiment from the fact that

I am foreign-born and -raised and that my Icelandic, while good, is not perfect. As the President and First Lady, we will be representing all Icelanders, including of course foreign-born Icelanders.

Are there particular causes or projects you hope to be able to emphasise and move forward?

With my own work co-founding the annual Iceland Writers Retreat, my interest in Iceland’s rich literary and cultural heritage has grown, and I can see how I might be able to help promote this heritage abroad. I can also relate to some of the challenges facing new immigrants to Iceland. But I have an open mind about things and there are no doubt innumerable causes and projects that I hope to be able to help with.

It is an immense privilege that the people of Iceland have elected Guðni to serve the country in this way, and it will be an honour to help him to do so to the best of his ability.

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TRACK OF THE ISSUE

Sigur Rós – “Óveður” Watch the video! at gpv.is/t9 More than three years after the release of their last album, Sigur Rós have treated fans to some new music with the release of “Óveður.” The Icelandic post-rock superstars are sticking with their ambient sound backed by industrial undertones on this release, as Jónsi’s voice and a sparse string section soar above thrumming drums and synth. This is a track that must be listened to with a good pair of headphones. “Óveður” is accompanied by a dark

music video that sets the stark beauty of the Icelandic landscape in contrast with the perils of modernity. The band makes a cameo appearance in the video that will leave your skin crawling with horror and excitement.

Fans of Sigur Rós will be thrilled to have some new material to listen to, but will also probably all have one question on their mind: Can we expect a new album in the near future?

The Good, The Great and The Unbearable STRAUMUR

Thursday

Words DAVÍÐ ROACH GUNNARSSON Photo ART BICNICK Straumur, Iceland's premier indie music radio show, airs on X977, Mon. at 23:00.

Daily music news in Icelandic at straum.is

The Good: Gísli Pálmi is a phenomenon.

I think he has similarities with both Riff Raff and Die Antwoord, in that his thang is equal parts music and performance art. I don’t know where to put his music on the irony-sincerity scale or if I should not believe the hype, denounce it or just tag along with it. But this night he brought his A-game and owned the stage and every person in a 200-metres radius.

The Bad: I love Hjaltalín, especially their latest LP, but good sound quality is absolutely crucial for their live show.

That was nowhere to found at the Gimli stage during their show, so I promptly left.

And The Middle-Aged Mediocrity: While I love many of Sister Sledge's songs, their greatness is mainly the product of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, aka Chic, who wrote, performed on and produced all of their classic albums. The sisters still had some dance moves but their voices were obviously past their peak.

Friday

The Great: Thom Yorke, his lazy eye and the rest of the Radiohead gang started quietly but slowly gained momentum throughout their amazing two-plus-hour

set. By “Idioteque,” the last song before the first encore, I had fallen into some sort of a trance and when 10,000 people sang, “For a minute there, I lost myself,” I felt like one piece of a large collectiveconsciousness puzzle.

The Unbearable: The “new” Laugardalshöll has the capacity for about 10,000 people but has serious problem with ventilation. The heat was almost intolerable and I almost left at one point, despite the awesomeness of the performance.

And the Wacky: Jack Magnet, the keyboardist and one of the founding architects of Stuðmenn played an unbelievably weird set at the Valhalla Stage.

He was dressed like a bishop, one of his guitar players like an Orthodox Jew and he also had a female dancer in a burka.

Saturday

The Amped-up: M.O.P. are masters in crowd control. The 90s hip-hop legends ploughed through their catalogue to a crowd that went repeatedly apeshit and the screaming and jumping were paramount.

The National: The Icelandic national team played Hungary at 16:00 and the game was showed on a big screen at the main Valhalla stage. A large crowd gathered to sit and watch the game and the experience was communal and beautiful.

And The Lame: A gang of about eight policemen roamed through Laugardalshöll with a sniffing dog intimidating people. Though you could see some drug use at the festival I didn’t see a single fight or anything but love and brotherhood.

Sunday

The Psychedelic: Armed with an army of guitar pedals, an old-school wooden wind organ and a shades-wearing drummer, Par-Ðar channelled the high spirits of the LSD 70s with a playful spirit that was unmistakable.

The Diva: The ex-Moloko songstress and disco goddess Rósín Murphy played one of the best shows of the festival, in many different costumes. She’s like a way classier version of Lady Gaga, or, no, wait a minute, Lady Gaga is a way trashier version of Roisin Murphy.

And The Motherfucking BEST IN SHOW: Die Antwoord are not a band.

They are an unfuckable trilogy of South African white trash alien ravers who produce sounds and images that affect the no man’s land between your body and soul. It was the very best show of the festival and one of the best I’ve attended in a long time. Part early 90s old-school hardcore, part helium raps, 100% ENERGY. SHARE & LISTEN: gpv.is/str8

Indie rock band KALEO have released NEWS their second album, ‘A/B’, after signing a record deal with Warner Music and moving to Texas. They have also been included on Rolling Stone’s list of “10 bands you should know.” ‘A/B’ debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200 chart, and the band has made an appearance on ‘Conan’.

MUSIC

REYKJAVÍKURDÆTUR, the rap clan we all love has set out on their tour to Denmark, Norway and Spain. These are their latest in a series of shows that have garnered them attention around the world, from Canada to Belgium.

THE DIVERSION SESSIONS, the latest project of Reykjavík musician Markús Bjarnason, has released their long-awaited first album, ‘The Truth The Love The Life’. The album has been well received following the release show at Tjarnarbíó in early June: it was featured as “album of the week” on Iceland’s Channel 2.

Electro-pop up-and-comer HILDUR premiered the music video for her new song “Bumpy Road” on June 14 at Loft Hostel.

The song follows up on Hildur’s hit “I’ll Walk With You,” which was released earlier this year. The evening also launched an exciting collaboration between Hildur and Sunna Ben, who is now designing merchandise for the musician.

Music

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

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MUSIC

THE GLACIER MAFIA is at it again!

GÍSLI PÁLMI has released a new single that is sure to become one of the songs of the summer, so get ready to hear “Roro” blasted up and down Laugavegur. You can find the song, and its music video on YouTube. Fresh off being one of the most hyped acts at Secret Solstice, “Roro” is a sign that Gísli and the Glacier Mafia are here to stay.

DJ OF THE ISSUE

NEWS

LORD PUSSWHIP and SVARTI LAXNESS, two well-respected figures in Iceland’s hip-hop scene, have joined forces again to release “Á Móti Streymi.” The song combines Svarti Laxness’s crafty lyrics with Lord Pusswhip’s smooth and psychadelic beats. Here’s hoping to more collaborations in the future!

Egill Spegill Words & Photo HREFNA BJÖRG GYLFADÓTTIR

Anyone who’s danced to Egill Spegill’s set at Prikið knows he is one of Reykjavík’s favourite DJs. Despite his young age, he’s been a regular on the city's party scene since high school and knows all the tricks for keeping the crowd jumping until late in the night. Make sure to find him working his magic at Prikið this month.

When did you start DJing?

I started DJing in 2012 when I was in secondary school. My first gig was at a school fashion show. After that, I started playing at all kinds of school events and in the start of summer 2013, I did my first gig downtown, DJing at Faktorý. Then in 2014, I started DJing regularly in various venues and bars downtown and I’ve been doing so every weekend since.

What styles do you play?

I try to play new and fresh hip-hop, mostly trap and RnB.

What's your favourite Reykjavík venue to play?

Prikið, Prikið, Prikið. Nothing compares to Prikið. I started DJing there in 2014 and I’ve had a monthly gig there, playing with Young Nazareth* for the last year. Those nights are my favourites. *Shoutsout to Yung Naza

What kind of gear do you use when playing?

I use a Macbook air computer and a Traktor S2 controller using the Traktor program. It never fails. I also use other equipment from Traktor to switch things up, including Traktor Z2 and Traktor X1.

Frakkastígur 16

Reykjavík

ORGANIC BAKERY

If you were an audio effect, which one would you be?

Delay, I’m not very punctual.

What kind of crowd is the best crowd in your opinion?

People that are willing to dance are my favourite.

What are your five essential tracks of the moment?

“Enginn Mórall” by Aron Can, “Roro” by Gísli Pálmi, “Karafrétta” by Herra Hnetusmjör, “For Free” by DJ Khaled featuring Drake and ‘’Uber Everywhere’’ by MadeinTYO featuring Travi$ Scott.

SHARE AND LISTEN: gpv.is/ex1

Iceland’s favourite pop star has released a new summer banger. GLOWIE, who rose to prominence last summer with the release of her single “No More,” is at it again with “No Lie.” Get used to this earworm, and keep your eyes peeled for a music video directed by Saga Sig that will be released in the near future.

Licensing and registration of travelrelated services The Icelandic Tourist Board issues licences to tour operators and travel agents, as well as issuing registration to booking services and information centres.

Tour operators and travel agents are required to use a special logo approved by the Icelandic Tourist Board on all their advertisements and on their Internet website.

Booking services and information centres are entitled to use a Tourist Board logo on all their material. The logos below are recognised by the Icelandic Tourist Board.

List of licenced Tour Operators and Travel Agencies on:

visiticeland.com

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'Tis the season

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Music

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

Seth Sharp

On Prince, Julian Assange, And What A Tribute Really Means Words by PAUL FONTAINE Photo by ART BICNICK Seth Sharp is an American musician and performer living in Iceland. He is perhaps best known for his Prince tribute shows, but since moving here more than ten years ago he has been in the spotlight for numerous reasons. He is a musician in his own right, and has been a popular DJ in downtown Reykjavík for many years—perhaps most notably when a video of Wikileaks’ Julian Assange dancing at one Sharp’s DJ gigs in Iceland circulated on YouTube a few years back.

On June 25, Seth’s band performed a tribute concert to honour the memory of The Purple One upon his recent passing. He shared some of his thoughts with us about Prince, Assange’s dancing, and what artists can learn from one of pop’s iconic performers.

blowing, I mean, he was one of the icons of queer acceptance, and he would even allude to not being heterosexual in the lyrics to some of his songs. So I think it was a shock for people to hear this homophobic stuff. But I think as with any great leader, I think people can look at him and appreciate what he did for the movement, even if they don’t appreciate the man.

We first met in 2004, and you had a Prince tribute band even then. Is this something you’ve been doing ever since?

I have to ask about the Julian Assange dancing video.

It’s not the only thing I’ve been doing. I have been writing, recording and releasing my own music, too.

But I always come back to Prince for musical inspiration. And for me in Iceland, Prince was sort of a way for me to push the envelope for my own music. I can’t say I remember the exact moment, I realised he was a genius but one of the earliest things I appreciated about him was how a black man could present himself. The current state of African-American men is hypermasculinity. It’s very unusual to see a black male celebrity come from this hypermasculine culture, defy convention, and still be considered heterosexual. I mean this guy got away with wearing women’s underwear.

There are some uncomfortable issues that come up when we talk about Prince; especially regarding homophobic remarks he’s made, or his involvement with the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

He got into a lot of trouble with the gay community over remarks he’s made about gay people in interviews. Which is kind of mind-

Being a musician yourself, I imagine there were also aspects of Prince’s songwriting and work ethic that inspired you, too.

Yes. Prince was notorious for working hard, and that’s one of the things I picked up from him, too.

That kind of perfectionism; of not being satisfied until you get something right.

Well, I was DJing one night at Glaumbar, spinning a lot of my own material. When I saw Assange out there dancing, I didn’t actually know who he was. To me he was just this old guy dancing. Which I love! I want to see older people on the dancefloor. We had taken

some photos from the night, and we tried our best to ask everyone if they minded if we put them on Facebook or whatever. Assange was one of them, and he was like, “Yeah sure whatever” about it.

That’s an important detail here: those photos of Assange dancing were on my Facebook for like two years, without a single complaint.

Anyway, one time I was having a conversation with a friend about Assange, and I mentioned that I had a video of him dancing—to one of my songs—on my hard drive.

My friend insisted on seeing it, and he couldn’t believe I’d been sitting on this video all this time. So I posted it, and it made its way to Reddit, where it just took off. Now, I understand Assange wasn’t happy about this. I heard he had tried to sue the producers of a British documentary about him, over that clip. The judge ruled that Assange couldn’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy on the dancefloor.

I’ve heard he’s still been trying to get the video taken down, but I haven’t heard anything from him personally.

The House at Eyrarbakki

THE HOUSE AT EYRARBAKKI Árnessýsla folk museum is located in Húsið, the House, historical home of the Danish merchants built in 1765. Húsið is one of the oldest houses in Iceland and a beautiful monument of Eyrarbakki´s time as the biggest trading place on the south coast.

Today one can enjoy exhibitions about the story and culture of the region, famous piano, shawl made out of human hair and the kings pot, are among items. Húsið prides itself with warm and homelike atmosphere.

Opening hours: May 1st - September 30th daily 11.00-18.00 or by an agreement Tel: +354 483 1504 & +354 483 1082 | husid@husid.com | www.husid.com

We’re expecting a busy summer but you can check-in 2 1/2 hours before departure and have plenty of time for refreshments and shopping in KEF. We offer unlimited free Wi-Fi, many charging stations and a range of nice restaurants and stores. Icelandic design and quality brands tax and duty free at the Airport.

Music

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

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Thee Lost & Found Section

by LORD PUSSWHIP Photo by MAGNÚS ANDERSEN

A lot of interesting music came out in 2015. Some got more attention while other music fell between the cracks— such is life. Still, those who weren’t noticed might rejoice in the hope that one day, their music will be “rediscovered,” much like a lot of old Icelandic pop and rock music which has been re-issued by foreign labels with dusty fingers.

Millennials like myself haven’t heard about these old bands in general and if we ask our parents about their music, we usually get a baffled look, like: “Where the hell did you hear that?”

So, to celebrate good music, let’s look at a few Icelandic bands & musicians who were somewhat more overlooked than their peers—at least for my generation.

SIGRÚN HARÐARDÓTTIR

Sigrún Harðardóttir was a well-known young singer when her album ‘Shadow Lady’ came out in 1976. It was the first album entirely composed by a woman in Iceland and it got a four-star review in the newspaper Tíminn. “Sigrún’s album is the best album by an Icelandic woman, ever. Although the albums that female singers in Iceland have released before are not very good, ‘Shadow Lady’ is easily far better.” Sounds like a bit of a harsh thing to say about female solo artists at the time, but importantly this was the first female singer/songwriter in Icelandic pop history. Some of the biggest heavyweights in the rock scene at the time sang and played on the album as backing vocalists and accompanists.

The album hasn’t been talked about much in recent years, except in 2012 when the business paper Viðskiptablaðið reported that an original vi-

nyl copy of the album was the most expensive Icelandic album on eBay: 375 GBP, or about 77,000 Icelandic krónur.

Check out: “Shadow Lady”

TAUGADEILDIN Taugadeildin (“The Nerve Ward”) was a post-punk band that operated between 1980 and 1981. They released one self-titled 7” and all the songs are amazing, top notch synth-punk. The singer, Óskar Þórisson, had worked with Fræbbblarnir, one of the biggest Icelndic punk bands, in the spring of 1979; bassist Árni Daníel Júlíusson had been the singer of Snillingarnir. According to Wikipedia, “for a period the band used the drum machine Elizabeth I, which was later laid aside." The band dissolved around the same time as their debut came out.

Óskar later joined the awesome punk band Q4U, while Árni started Mogo Homo, a more experimental outfit. Fatefully, the reason why Taugadeildin is not present in the classic documentary 1982 documentary ‘Rokk í Reykjavík’ is because they broke up in the autumn, of 1981, just before the film was shot that winter.

Check out: “Hvítar grafir (White Graves)”

MAGNÚS BLÖNDAL Magnús Blöndal was an Icelandic composer, conductor and pianist born in 1925. He was at the forefront of the Icelandic avant-garde in the 1950s and early 60s. He was also a pioneer of electronic music, creating musique concrète works on a one-channel tape recorder that captured the attention of electronic pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen, who played his stuff on his ra-

Learn Icelandic this summer Morning and evening classes in July and August Level 1-3 and online course level 4 Location: Öldugata 23, 101 Reykjavík Registration: Höfðabakki 9, 110 Reykjavík Öldugata 23, 101 Reykjavík Bus line no. 6 from city centre and bus line no. 12 from Breiðholt Höfðabakki 9

Entrance to Mímir-símenntun

www.mimir.is or at the office at Höfðabakki 9, 110 Reykjavík

Vesturlandsvegur

Höfðabakki 9 - 110 Reykjavík - www.mimir.is - Tel: 580 1800

Music

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

GET YOUR DESIGNER BR ANDS TA X F R E E AT K E F L AV I K A I R P O R T

dio show. Although he had a long and successful career, the whips and scorns of life would cause Blöndal to disappear from the scene for twenty years. According to Icelandic music expert Dr. Gunni, Blöndal almost killed himself with alcohol abuse and his wife died in a tragic accident.

In 1959, Magnús Blöndal was one of the founders of Musica Nova, a society for young composers. In a news article from 1960, it is noted that at the group’s concerts, guests can have refreshments before the concert and in the intermission. So along with pioneering electronic music in Iceland, he also inadvertently helped start the trend that has

now culminated in drunk people frolicking at our many music festivals.

Check out: “Samstirni (Constellation)”

ICECROSS Icecross were the potheads in the early 70s who used to hang out with your dad and they played sick ass proto-metal in the vein of Black Sabbath. After refining their sound at concerts in Copenhagen's free state Christiania (read: Hell’s Angels-run hash capital), they recorded their self-titled album in 1973. The doomy sound and lyrics have given it a cult status among metalheads. All connoisseurs of

Icelandic music should check out this album, no doubt.

The album was re-issued by the label Light and the Attic and on their website the album has a more kickass description than I could ever write: "Rippers Alert: Legendary and essential shreddage on board! Seriously great raw proto-metal with a punk spirit— this is a MUST GRIP.” Check out: “1999” Honorable mentions: Andhéri, Daisy Hill Puppy Farm, Kvartett O. Jonsson og Grjóni, Náttúra, Oxsmá, Sonus Futurae, Svanfríður, Taugadeildin, Þokkabót

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Certificate of Excellence ——— 2015 ———

Music

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

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TRACK BY TRACK R E STAU RA N T | B A R — H A P PY H O U R : 4 - 7 P M

Tasty Icelandic tapas and drinks by the old harbour

Markús & The Diversion Sessions ‘The Truth the Love the Life’

By HREFNA BJÖRG GYLFADÓTTIR Photo by TOLLI KAMBAN / KRISTJÁN FREYR EINARSSON

N ÝLENDU GATA 14 . 101 REYKJAVÍK TA BLE RE SE RVAT I ONS : +354 .517.180 0 - WWW.FO RR ET TA BA R IN N .IS

LET’S

TACO ‘BOUT IT

‘The Truth the Love the Life’’ came out in late 2015, after three years of recording in various places in Iceland. It was very much a collective effort, as lead singer Markús Bjarnason explains. “Without influences and additions from my friends in the band Georg Kári Hilmarsson, Ási Sigþórsson and Marteinn Sindri Jónsson,” he says, “as well as the guests adding their magic, this album would be lacking in so many ways.”

Markús says that songs and sounds from the past inspired the album, and that mixing many genres with his own sound was challenging. “In the end though,” he says, “it made for a melting pot of pop melodies, folk songs and rock ’n’ roll.”

“Mónóey’’ This is one of two Icelandic-language songs on the record, and it reminds me of a Belle & Sebastian song. The song was recorded in my friend’s barn—we were jamming to it for a whole night until we got it right.

The A ssembly of t he Hyper boreans

Curator Gavin Morrison Co-curator Ráðhildur Ingadót tir

AN EVENT PROGRAM RUNS ALONGSIDE THE EXHIBITION, WITH PERFORMANCES AND A SCREENING.

Freyskatla, 1993, raddskúlptúr / voice sculpture, Magnús Pálsson

We are located at: Höfðatorg, Smáralind, Spöngin, N1 Hringbraut, Kringlan, N1 Bíldshöfði, Dalshraun, Nýbýlavegur and Akureyri.

Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir (IS) dj. f lugvél og geimskip (IS) Helgi Örn Pétursson (IS) Jesper Fabricius (DK) Luke Fowler (UK) Magnús Pálsson (IS) Nora Joung (NO) Ragnar Kjartansson (IS) Styrmir Örn Guðmundsson (IS) The Narrative Collection initiated by Christoph Büchel (CH)

“The Truth the Love the Life ‘’ Kristján Freyr Einarsson and I wrote the title song. It’s about being a young adult and figuring out that you know almost nothing about life, yourself, and that you have to make many mistakes in order to become a decent human being. Also about the power of friends working together.

“Get a Party Going’’ A friend who was living in the country for a long time having no luck finding a girlfriend inspired this song. As soon as he got his own apartment and could host afterparties, he found a girlfriend... he is now married with kids.

“13th Floor’’

Jun 4.– Sep 18. 2016

Mexican food that is a true fiesta for your taste buds!

“Decent Times’’

The song’s chorus was first to come. I was living in my first apartment, feeling secure and optimistic and looking forward to the future. Then came the economic crisis, and many stories of people painfully losing their money or houses. The verses are about remembering the fact that people can be happy and have decent times with or without money, if they feel secure.

OPEN DAILY FROM 12-18, WEDNESDAYS FROM 12-20. GUIDED TOUR FOR GROUPS CAN BE ARRANGED. Skaft fell – Center for Visual Art, East Iceland Austur vegur 42, Seyðisf jörður, w w w.skaft fell.is

Kristján Freyr Einarsson wrote most of the song and I added some lyrics. It’s sad, rough and naive, in a beautiful way. The chorus is the one of the best choruses in any song I have ever heard.

I can say that because I did not write it.

“É bisst assökunar’’ This one is a story told from many perspectives—it’s funny, but mostly sad. It’s only partly drawn from my own experiences, thankfully, but I have met people who can connect to it. Most of us struggle with bills and rent each

month, don’t we?

“Now I Know’’ This is one of the best songs I have written, made so much better with the band’s work. It’s about finally knowing what to do, who to be and not being stuck in fear, wanting to change but constantly postponing it.

“Blessed” This was an attempt to write a Tom Waits-inspired song. It’s a chant featuring the Vox Populi choir about the fate of being born a musician or artist, and keeping on creating even though it can sometimes be a burden.

“Picture a Painting” We recorded the voices and strings from a live session. This recording was good enough to be included in the album without anything additional. I love albums with stripped-down versions between big arrangements.

“Slow Boat” I love slow travelling and having to wait in airports, or being stuck somewhere because of weather.

It creates a special time in which you experience the now. I’d seen a documentary about soldiers coming home from war, who’d been sent home on slow boats to give them time to work out their experiences. I wondered how a slow boat could help people after a traumatic experience.

The Diversion Sessions have several concerts coming up, including performances at Akureyri’s Græni Hatturinn, Havarí in Berufjörður July 14th, Ljósanótt in Keflavík, and a solo tour of Germany and Poland in September.

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h

IN YOUR

POCKET Reykjavík Map

Happy Hour Guide

Places We Like

Best Of Reykjavík

Practical Info

June 17 - June 30

Two

Weeks

The Grapevine picks the events, places and things to check out in the next two weeks.

July 1

Omar Souleyman

2-31 JULY

Great collection, good prices

EXHIBITION

'Your World'

Omar Souleyman started out as a wedding singer in Syria. When civil war broke out in 2011, Souleyman fled to Turkey, where he began performing for couples tying the knot. His songs of love and positivity soon made him a legendary musician in the West.

Húrra, Naustin (D3) at 21:00. Admission: 3,000 ISK.

July 2

SUUNS Montreal-based rock band SUUNS will be gracing the KEX stage with their fresh take on psychedelic rock and krautrock. The band is touring to support their latest album, ‘Hold/Still’, which was released in April, and their Reykjavík date kicks off a European tour.

KEX Hostel, Skúlagata 28 (E7) at 21:00. Admission: Free!

Art Above The City Perlan, Öskjuhlíð. | Free!

Enjoy an exhibition with a view at ‘Your World’, which opens at Perlan on July 2. The exhibition features five artists whose art makes reference to Iceland, whether it be the country’s nature, history or mythology.

The works range from sculpture and painting to mixed-media art made from silver and glass. IW

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July 1 - August 28

JULY

CONCERT

Kristján Hrannar

'Morpho-logic' The latest exhibition at Reykjavík’s favourite window gallery is by mixed media artist Christopher Hickey, and is made of wool, wire, cinnamon sticks, and other materials. He explores themes of relationships and identity.

Wind And Weather Window Gallery, Hverfisgata 37 (E5). Open all hours. Admission: Free!

TAK Ensemble All the way from The Big Apple, the contemporary music group TAK Ensemble will perform a piece by Errata, an Icelandic composing collective. Their sweet, sweet melodies will fill Björtu Loft in Harpa, just two days after TAK plays another show in Iceland at Hamra in Ísafjörður on July 10. Oh my!

Harpa, Austurbakki 2 (C4) at 20:00. Admission: 2,000 ISK.

Akureyri

Reykjavík

www.theviking.is TAX FREE

SUPER JEEP

Reykjavík Safari Tour

July 12

Skólavörðustíg 3 · Reykjavík Skólavörðustíg 25 · Reykjavík Hafnarstræti 104 · Akureyri e:info@theviking.is

July 7 Visitors are introduced to Reykjavík’s cultural life on the Reykjavík Safari. Tours are in English, Spanish, Polish, Vietnamese and Persian, and depart from Tryggvagata 15 before visiting the city’s museums, libraries, theatres and statues.

Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús, Tryggvagata 17 (D3) at 20:00.

Admission: Free!

The viking:info

DAY TOURS FROM REYKJAVÍK A Chilling Concept

Mengi, Óðinsgata 2 (F5) at 20:00 | 2,000 ISK

We only have one chance to stop climate change. That’s the concept Kristján Hrannar wants to drive home on his album ‘Arctic Take One’. The songs are all named after places in the Arctic affected by climate change, and the album was improvised and recorded on the spot, with no re-dos.

Kristján will be performing this album live at experimental music venue Mengi. IW

OUTDOO SUPER JEEP ADVENT R LKS URES GLACIER WA ADVENTURES GLACIER WAL FELL ULL & SKAFTA SÓLHEIMAJÖK

S 2016 DAY TOUR

HIGHLAND & GLACIER

TOURS FROM REYKJAVÍK 2016

KS, HIKI & CAVIN G FROM NG REYKJAVÍK 2016

ICELANDROVERS.IS info@icelandrovers.is · Tel: +354 587 9999 & PASSION NALISM

MAKE EVERY MOMENT

SMAL

QUALITY L GROUPS EXPERIE NCES

AN EXPERIENCE

mountain guides.is .is info@mountain idesicelandrovers.is guides.is ntaingu 9999 · Tel: +354 587 info@icelandrovers.is mountainguide · Tel: +354 587 9999 587 9999 s.is · Tel: +354 PROFESSIO

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info@mou

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Legendary in every sense of the word, this Reykjavik mainstray has become a popular haunt forEG travelers, but still maintains a core crowd of GE RT can easily claim the title of the home locals and SG AT of House musicAin Iceland.

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MelhagiBSÍ 20 (off-map) Coach Situated across the street from VesturbæjarTerminal laug swimming pool and Ísbúð Vesturbæjar ice

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cream store (not on the map), this new bistro offers locals the chance to hobnob in a genuine neighbourhood atmosphere.

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Tourist Information

Public Transport

Opening Hours - Shops & Banks

Emergency number: 112 Medical help: 1770 Dental emergency: 575 0505 Information: 1818 Taxi: Hreyfill: 588 5522 - BSR: 561 0000

Arctic Adventures, Laugavegur 11, tel: 562 7000 Tourist Info Centre, Aðalstræti 2, tel: 590 1550 Iceland Excursions–Grayline, Hafnarst. 20, tel: 540 1300 Icelandic Travel Market, Bankastræti 2, tel: 522 4979 Trip, Laugavegur 54, tel: 433 8747

The only public transport available in Reykjavík is the bus. Most buses run every 20–30 min (the wait may be longer on weekends), price per fare is 420 ISK adults, 210 ISK children. Multiday passes are available at select locations and through their app. Route map at: www.bus.is. Tel: 540 2700. Buses run from 07–24:00 on weekdays and 10–24:00 on weekends. Main terminals are: Hlemmur and Lækjartorg.

Shops: Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat 10:00– 16:00, Sun closed. Kringlan and Smáralind malls and most supermarkets and tourist shops have longer opening hours.

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BSÍ, Vatnsmýrarvegur 10,

Iceland Refund, Aðalstræti 2, tel: 564 6400

tel: 562 1011, www.bsi.is

Pharmacies Lyf og heilsa, Egilsgata 3, tel: 563 1020 Lyfja, Laugavegur 16, tel: 552 4045 and Lágmúla 5, tel: 533 2300

Opening Hours - Bars & Clubs

Domestic Airlines Air Iceland, Reykjavíkurflugvöllur,

tel: 570 3030, www.flugfelag.is Eagle Air, Hótel Loftleiðir, tel: 562 4200

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Reykjavíkopen until 01:00 on weekdays and 04:30 on weekends.

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Post Offices Post offices are located around the city. The downtown post office is at Pósthússtræti 3–5, open Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00.

Stamps are also sold at bookstores, gas stations, tourist shops and some grocery stores.

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Banks in the centre are open Mon-Fri 09:0016:00 R

Tax-Free Refund

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For those with a bit of time on their hands, the evening is well spent at Tapas Barinn, where you can indulge yourself feasting on course after delicious course of miniature dishes served in true Spanish style. There is also a lounge for those who want to hang out and sip a fine glass of red.

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Kaffivagninn Grandagarði 10 · 101 Reykjavík +354 551 5932 · kaffivagninn@kaffivagninn.is kaffivagninn.is

National Gallery

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This welcomed addition to Reykjavík’s pizza palette has been steadily winning over fans since it opened for business, and with good reason. Gamla smiðjan seems to handle every single order with care, love and respect. As the dining area is sparse, locals usually opt for take-out.

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SOUP OF THE DAY AND COFFEE INCLUDED on weekdays from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm

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Iceland, Dill Restaurant very quickly became a R Reykjavík favourite, which it continues to be in LU its new location. Exclusively using fresh and clas- IME P sic Nordic ingredients, Dill offers a unique diningES M experience.

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Open weekdays 07:30 – 18:00 Open weekends 09:30 – 18:00

lacking at times, most have nocomplaints about the food (indeed, we dubbed it Reykjavík’s “best UR EG Thai restaurant” in our annual BEST OF issue SV L JÓ last S K year). One of the few Thai restaurants in PL A K A Iceland, Ban Thai gives the diner a unique experiA ence in both atmosphere and cuisine.

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After long years of lamenting the lack of quick, greasy and satisfying Asian fast-food in town, the owners of Thai super-restaurant Ban Thai have graced us with I this pan-fried saviour! The dishes ND R A cheap at 1100 ISK each , the service is areAsuper G L Á superfast but totally fresh and what seems like a small dish will stuff you full. They now do home delivery as well! Oh, happy day..

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Joylato

Njálsgata 1 & Laufbrekka 30

local food fine import

Boston Laugavegur 28b E5

Lavabarinn Lækjargata 6 E4

Bunk Laugavegur 28 E5

Loft Hostel Bankastræti 7 E4

Café Rósenberg Klapparstígur 25 E5

Paloma Naustin

Coocoo's Nest Grandagarður 23 B2

Prikið Bankastræti 12 E4

Den Danske Kro Ingólfsstræti 3 E4

Reykjavík Roasters Kárastígur 1 F5

Dillon Laugavegur 30 E5

Stofan Café Vesturgata 3 D3

Dubliner Naustin 1-3 D3

Ölsmiðjan Lækjargata 10 E3

Dúfnhólar 10 Hafnarstræti 18 D3

Ölstofan Vegamótastígur 4 E5

English Pub Austurstræti 12 D3

Tivoli bar Hafnarstræti 4

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Kringlan Shopping Mall

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Sólon Bistro Bankastræti 7a Mon-Thu 11-23:30 Fri-Sat 11-01 Sun 11-23

The National Gallery of Iceland Fríkirkjuvegur 7 F3 Tue–Sun 11–17 listasafn.is

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Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum Laugarnestangi 70 lso.is

The National Museum Suðurgata 41 Open daily 10–17 G2 natmus.is HAM

Saga Museum Grandagarður 2 sagamuseum.is

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Reykjavík Museum of Photography Tryggvagata 15 D3 Mon-Thur 12–19 / Fri 1218 / Sat–Sun 13–17

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Public toilets in the centre can be found inside the green-poster covered towers located, for example, at Hlemmur, Ingólfstortorg, by Hallgrímskirkja,Mby Reykjavík Art IKL ABR Museum, Lækjargata and by Eymundsson AUT on TI Galso be found Skólavörðustígur. Toilets Scan AH LÍ Ð inside the Reykjavík City Hall and the Reykjavík Library.

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There are several swimming pools in ARM Reykjavík. The one inB101 Reykjavík, AHL Í Ðlocated Sundhöll Reykjavíkur, is an indoor one, at Barónsstígur. It features a nice sunbathing M area and some outdoor hotÁV tubs.

A H LOpening ÍÐ hours: Mon-Thu from 06:30–22:00, Fri from 06:30–20:00, DR Á PU H Lfrom Sat from 08:00–16:00 and Sun ÍÐ 10:00–18:00.

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There are few public payphones in the centre. The tourist info at Aðalstræti 2, City Hall, Kolaportið, Landsbankinn and in Lækjargata. Prepaid phone cards are recommended for int’l callers.

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Public Toilets

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CAFE BAR RECORD STORE

Reykjavík City Museum - Árbæjarsafn Kistuhylur 4 Daily tours at 13

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Swimming Pools

Most cafés offer free wifi. Computers with internet are available to use at: Ráðhúskaffi City Hall, Tjarnargata 11 RCity Library, Tryggvagata 15 The Reykjavík EG U A RV A LL National Library, Arngrímsgata 3 VThe G U FL Tourist Information Centre, Aðalstræti 2 Icelandic Travel Market, Bankastræti 2

Reykjavík City Library D3 Tryggvagata 15 borgarbokasafn.is

The Icelandic Phallological Museum Laugavegur 116 F8 phallus.is

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Ásmundarsafn Sigtún Open 10-17 listasafnreykjavikur.is

The Settlement Exhibition Aðalstræti 17 Open daily 9–20

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Reykjavík Maritime Museum Grandagarður 8 B2 Open daily 10-17

Hverfisgallerí Hverfisgata 4 D4 hverfisgalleri.is i8 Gallery Tryggvagata 16 D3 Tue–Fri 11–17 / Sat 13–17 and by appointment. i8.is

Kiosk is a co-op owned by a few talented, Ú H young TIcelandic LÍ Ð designers. Not only do you get to purchase work by local designers, you get to meet them too as they take turns to work BÓL in the store.

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Laugardalslaug Swimmin Pool

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Real second-hand pickers and diggers will delight in sifting through the hidden treasures of these goodwill shops. The neighbourly staff and quirky decorations will take you through a little slice of history.

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Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús Tryggvagata 17 D3 Open 10-17 Thursday 10-20

Hannesarholt Grundarstígur 10 hannesarholt.is

Kjarvals11 Red Cross staðir LaugavegurNational 12b & Skólavörðastígur Museum 12

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listasafnasi.is Aurora Reykjavík SÓ LTÚ Grandagarður 2 N Open 09-21

Hafnarborg Strandgata 34, Hafnarfjörður hafnarborg.is

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Gallerí List Skipholt 50A H10 S K I P M-F 11-18, Sat 11-16 HO LT gallerilist.is

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10 Herrafataverzlun Kormáks & Skjaldar

This store allows you to look like the perfect gentleman with modern interpretations on classic menswear. Everything is sharp, respectful and tweedsome, with the vibe of old fashioned English eccentricity.

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The people of Reykjavík are known for their love for ice cream, enjoying it all seasons no matter how cold it gets. The country has naturally given a warm welcome to this new ice cream place. They prepare the ice cream on the spot out of organic ingredients, with dairy-free and gluten-free options on the menu. We recommend the chocolate mocha. Make sure to stop by for a scoop on your way downtown. Open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 15:00-22:00, Wednesdays 13:00-22:00 and Friday to Sunday 15:00-23:00.

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DAGSKRÁ HÚRRA

1. OMAR SOULEYMAN 2. THEE OH SEES (US) ANGEL OLSEN (US)

9 PM 3.000 ISK

W. SPECIAL GUEST ANNA SEREGINA

3. OPEN MIC NIGHT 4. MÁNUDJASS // MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ

FM BELFAST (DJ SET)

8 PM 5.000 ISK

DJ ÓLI DÓRI

9 PM. FREE ENTRY

9 PM FREE ENTRY

5. MILKHOUSE LUCY IN BLUE RYTMATÍK 6. CATERPILLARMEN ÓREGLA 7. TÓMAS JÓNSSON KIPPI KANÍNUS 8. DJ JÓNBJÖRN 9. DJ KGB 11. MÁNUDJASS

8 PM 1.000 ISK

// MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ

8 PM 1.000 ISK

8 PM 2.000 ISK

9 PM FREE ENTRY

12. IMPROV ICELAND

8 PM. 2.000 ISK

DJ PABBI

Music

Concerts & Nightlife Listings July 1 - July 14

How to use the listings: Events listed are all live performancesand DJs. Venues are listed by day. For complete listings and detailed information on venues visit grapevine.is/happening. Send your listings to: listings@grapevine. is.

Friday July 1 Today's highlight: Omar Souleyman (SY) Make sure to catch Omar, famous for his songs about love and positivity.

Admission is 3,000 ISK. 21:00 Húrra Concerts: Sleep (US) 22:00 Gaukurinn Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Omar Souleyman (SY) 21:00 Húrra ÚÚ5 21:00 Mengi Sólon 21:00 Hressó Krystal Carma 21:00 Stofan Stroff 21:00 Paloma DJs: 21:00 DJ Silja Glømmi Bryggjan Brugghús 21:00 DJ Davíð Roach Hverfisgata 12 22:00 DJ Bogi Austur 22:00 Egill Birgis Dúfnahólar 10

Picker Of The Issue

Photo by Birta Rán

Hildur This issue’s picker is Hildur Kristín Stefánsdóttir, a multifaceted singer on the rise. Her song ‘’I’ll Walk with You’’ went straight to the top of the Icelandic pop chart and her newest single ‘’Bumpy Road’’ is, as predicted, another hit. Both singles were released with music videos, which perfectly complement Hildur’s cool and colourful style. The singer has also started creating merchandise in collaboration with graphic designer Sunna Ben, selling T-shirts and cups sporting her logo. An album is to be expected this fall, but until then, be sure not to miss her performing at Kexport July 16, the Slut Walk July 23 and at Innipúkinn music festival, which takes place from July 31 through August 2. HBG

WAR IS OVER! IF YOU WANT IT

Happy Christmas from John & Yoko (and The Laundromat Cafe)

Hildur's picks are marked with

Saturday July 2 Concerts: NOISE 22:00 Gaukurinn Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Pearls of Icelandic Song folk 17:00 Harpa Thee of Sees (US) & Angel Olsen (US) 20:00 Húrra Dutch organist Leo van Doeselaar 12:00 Hallgrímskirkja Arnljótur Sigurðsson 21:00 Mengi Sex Ý Fötu 21:00 Hressó Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt

The Beauty And Magic Of Icelandic Opera

DJs: 20:00 DJ Jónbjörn Bryggjan Brugghús 21:00 DJ Bangsi TechSoul Hverfisgata 12 22:00 DJ Nolo Stofan 22:00 DJ André Austur 22:00 Egill Birgis Dúfnahólar 10

Sunday July 3 Today's highlight: Reykjavik Sex Farm Vinyl Sunday Well, it sounds interesting.

20:00 Bryggjan Brugghús

Summer Opera Gala July 10, July 17, July 24, Aug 7 and Aug 14, 16:00 at Harpa, Austurbakki 2 (C4).

Admission: 4,900 ISK

Four singers (tenor, baritone, soprano and mezzo-soprano) and a pianist perform pieces from throughout the history of opera in Iceland: songs about horses and outlaws, elves and ghosts, and love and passion. Expect selections from international operas as well. GR

Concerts: Reykjavik Sex Farm vinyl Sunday 20:00 Bryggjan Brugghús Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Pearls of Icelandic Song folk 12:30 Harpa Open Mic night 21:00 Húrra Dutch organist Leo van Doeselaar 17:00 Hallgrímskirkja Live Jazz jam session - Andrés Þór Tríó 21:00 Hressó Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt

Monday July 4 Today's highlight: Monday Night Jazz Life is full of surprises but the one thing you can always count on is the Monday night jazz session at Húrra.

21:00 Húrra Concerts: þorleif Gauk's Blues Band 21:00 Café Rosenberg

King Dude 21:00 Dillon Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Pearls of Icelandic Song, folk 19:00 Harpa Monday Night Jazz 21:00 Húrra Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt

20:00 DJ Fusion

Bryggjan Brugghús

Wednesday July 6 Concerts:

Tuesday July 5

Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Pearls of Icelandic Song folk 17:00 Harpa Caterpillarmen & Óregla 20:00 Húrra Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt

Concerts:

DJs:

Múlinn Jazz Club: Þorieifur Gaukur and Colescott Rubin 21:00 Harpa Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Milkhouse, Lucy in Blue & Rytmatík 20:00 Húrra KEX Jazz 20:30 KEX Hostel Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt

20:00 DJ Stymir Dansson Brugghús

DJs:

Concerts:

Bryggjan

Thursday July 7 Today's highlight: Miss Naivity A folk music singer/songwriter from Saint Petersburg. Admission is 2,000 ISK. 21:00 Mengi

YES, IT IS TRUE!

Music

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

40

Festivals

Set Phasers To Chill Pan Thorarensen on Iceland’s most chill music festival Words JOHN ROGERS Photo ART BICNICK Extreme Chill is a small but wellloved electronic music event that sits in the centre of Iceland’s summer festival calendar. For its sixth edition, the festival has decamped from its regular location in the plains beneath the Snæfellsjökull glacier, and moved to the picturesque southern coastal town of Vík.

We caught up with one of the festival’s founders, Pan Thorarensen—who also plays in the band Stereo Hypnosis—to find out how it all began, what it’s like to go from musician to organiser, and what’s on the menu this year.

Your first adventure is always epic.

How did Extreme Chill get started?

Obviously you're into the lineup, but anything you're hyped for, personally?

Extreme Chill has been held for six years—five times in Iceland at Hellissandur in Snæfellsnes, then once in Berlin, Germany, for our fifth anniversary. The idea came in August 2009, when my band Stereo Hypnosis held a release concert in Hellissandur. One year later Extreme Chill - Undir Jökli (or “under the glacier,” in English) was held.

How did you enjoy the first festival? It must be very different as an organiser rather than a festivalgoer.

The first edition was great. Biogen played, and many other great artists.

Is there a community around the festival who comes every time?

Yes we have our extreme chilled crew, friends, fans and family. A couple of them followed us to Berlin in the summer of 2014. Tonik Ensemble, Skurken, Futuregrapher, Yagya, Ruxpin, M-Band and many more.

What's the range of music on offer this year?

Ambient, experimental, down-tempo and electronica = Extreme Chill.

Hans Joachim Roedelius is playing, of Cluster and Harmonia. Roedelius is a pioneer in the field of the exploitation of electrically generated tones, sounds and noises, and is one of the founders of contemporary popular electronic music.

He has collaborated with many musicians such as Brian Eno, Holger Czukay, Michael Rother, Konrad Plank, and many others.

What prompted the change of venue for the 2016 edition?

Vík is my favorite place in Iceland.

Delivered to your Hotel or Apartment within two hours notice.

It has a beautiful ambient landscape, and lots of elves and trolls… a new location for new adventures.

Will it be in the town, or in the wilderness somewhere nearby?

We will be in the town. The concerts will be held in the music venue Leikskálar on Saturday and in the town church Víkurkirkja on Sunday, during the day. Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson will close the weekend in Víkurkirkja.

Do you see many international incomers, or mostly Íslendingar?

It will be about half and half, I think.

How's the atmosphere at Extreme Chill? What is it that makes it special?

The atmosphere is unique—there are sunsets like nowhere else.

Reynisfjara is nearby—the most beautiful non-tropical beach in the world. There are some adventurous hiking paths in the area as well.

The weekend is also perfect for taking photos, videos and field recordings. It’ll be a unique experience.

Extreme Chill tickets are on sale now, priced at 5900 ISK. Visit www.extremechill.org for more information.

“... It blew us away.

A wonderful insight into the music of Iceland.”

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Experience the essence of the nation through Icelandic art song and folk music

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Concerts & Nightlife Listings July 1 - July 14

AR

Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Pearls of Icelandic Song folk 17:00 Harpa Tómas Jónsson & Kippi Kaninus 20:00 Húrra Organ Concert 12:00 Hallgrímskirkja Antimony LIVE 21:00 KEX Hostel Miss Naivity 21:00 Mengi Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt Húm 23:00 Siglufjörður

BISTRO & B

Bryggjan Brugghús 20:00 Dj Óli Dóri 21:00 DJ Björn Teitsson Hverfisgata 12 Dúfnahólar 10 22:00 Sonur Sæll

Friday July 8 Concerts: Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Guns N' Roses Tribute Concert 21:00 Gaukurinn Pearls of Icelandic Song folk 17:00 Harpa Arctic Take One 21:00 Mengi Reynir Snær band 21:00 Hressó Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt DJs: 21:00 DJ Inglibjörg 22:00 DJ Bogi

Hverfisgata 12 Austur

Saturday July 9

"Way Down We Go" With Kaleo

Kaleo July 9, 20:00 at Gamla Bíó, Ingolfsstræti 2a (E4). Admission: 5,900 ISK

Kaleo most needs no introduction here in Iceland. Or in other countries. But for those unfortunate souls who haven’t heard of this famous Icelandic rock band, let it be assured that their music is just epic! The band started their journey back at Iceland Airwaves 2012. After that their songs just went viral and by the end of last year Kaleo had signed with Atlantic Records and subsequently relocated to Austin, Texas. Kaleo’s single "Way Down We Go" was featured on the FIFA 16 soundtrack and in the TV shows ‘Blindspot’ and ‘Suits’, as well as in a trailer for ‘Orange Is the New Black’. GR

Today's highlight: Kaleo The band listed by the Rolling Stones as one of ten bands you should know, is performing at Gamla Bíó. Turn up.

20:00 Gamla Bió Concerts: Kaleo 20:00 Gamla Bió Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Pearls of Icelandic Song folk 17:00 Harpa Organist Kári Þormar 12:00 Hallgrímskirkja Eva Ingólfsdóttir 21:00 Mengi Sóló Project Böddi Reynis 21:00 Hressó Sibling Concert 16:00 Hannesarholt Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt DJs: 20:00 DJ Ísar Logi 20:00 DJ KGB 21:00 Doodlepops 22:00 DJ Maggi 22:00 AUDUR

Sunday July 10 Concerts: Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Summer Opera Gala 16:00 Harpa Concert of Accordion Trio: Ítríó 14:00 Harpa Organist Kári Þormar 17:00 Hallgrímskirkja Live Jazz Jam Session – Simmi Trió 21:00 Hressó Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt Húm 20:30 Kópasker DJs: 20:00 DJ Elnar Sonic Vinyl Sunday Bryggjan Brugghús

Monday July 11 Bryggjan Brugghús Húrra Hverfisgata 12 Austur Dúfnahólar 10

Concerts: Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Pearls of Icelandic Song folk

NICE

DJs:

GREAT FOODGOOD DRINKS ATMO uno is the perfect place to start a good day or end a great evening

19:00 Harpa Monday Night Jazz 21:00 Húrra Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt Húm 20:30 Garðarsbraut, Húsavik

Tuesday July 12 Today's highlight: Burt Bacharach Don't miss the man who wrote all the classics. What's new pussycat?

WOWOWOW. 20:00 Harpa 20:00

Gamla Bió Concerts:

Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Burt Bacharach 20:00 Harpa Improv Iceland 20:00 Húrra KEX JAZZ 20:30 KEX Hostel Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt Húm 20:00 Drottningarbraut, Akureyri

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“The Icelandic Museum of Rock ‘n’ Roll is as eccentric in its telling as the tale it celebrates.”

David Fricke, Rolling Stone.

Music

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

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Concerts

YOU HAVE TO Visit our largest music museum and browse through the timeline of Icelandic pop and rock music with the Rock ‘n’ Roll app, spend

time in our soundlab, cinema, karaoke booth, gift store, exhibitions or simply grab a cup of coffee at our café (free wifi!)

For Art's Sake Bermúda Art Festival July 5, 20:00 at Grágata 3 (first floor), Kópavogur. Admission: Free!

The youth, they’re always up to something. And it’s no different in Kópavogur. Three young, creative minds collaborate to bring an arts festival to town. The aim is to feature distinct and peculiar pieces that might not normally be showcased in a neighborhood that isn’t necessarily known as the epicenter of the art world (no offense, Kópavogur). Graphic design and photography will be used in conjunction to better understand the town’s vacant spaces. But the visual arts aren’t the only ones being represented—you’ll be in for an auricular treat as well. Mixed Feels, Mizt, Harpa Dís and Berlaug are amongst the performing artists. Show your support for creative minds coming together in the name of art (I ask you, is there a more just cause?). KR

Located in Keflavík only 5 minutes away from Keflavík International Airport Open daily from 11am – 6pm For more go to rokksafn.is

The Icelandic Museum of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Thursday July 14

DJs: 20:00 DJ Inglbjörg

Taste the best of Iceland ... ... in one amazing meal

Bryggjan Brugghús

Wednesday July 13 Today's highlight: Múlinn Jazz Club: Sigurður Flosason Reykjavík's king of jazz performs the créme de la cremé at Harpa.

20:00 Harpa

Today's highlight: Organist Lára Bryndís Eggertsdóttir Lára Bryndís Eggertsdóttir plays her magic in Hallgrímskirkja. Not to be missed.

12:00 Hallgrímskirkja Concerts:

Reykjavík Classics 12:00 Harpa Múlinn Jazz Club: Sigurður Flosason jazz 21:00 Harpa Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt

Reykjavík Classics classical 12:00 Harpa Pearls of Icelandic Song folk 17:00 Harpa Organist Lára Bryndís Eggertsdóttir 12:00 Hallgrímskirkja Bergur Andersen 21:00 Mengi Skálholt Summer 12:00 Skálholt

DJs:

DJs:

Concerts:

20:00 DJ Api Pabbi

Bryggjan Brugghús

ICELANDIC GOURMET FEAST

20:00 DJ Byssukisi 21:00 DJ Óli Dóri

Bryggjan Brugghús Hverfisgata 12

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Six Weeks Of Culture And Music Skáholt Summer Concerts July 2 - August 13 in Skáholt. Admission: Free!

Skálholt Summer Concerts, Iceland’s oldest summer music festival, celebrates its 41st birthday this year. The festival involves over 40 public concerts, lectures and workshops in Skáholt over a period of six weeks. During the festival, Skálholt’s summer days are filled with beautiful Icelandic classical music, choirs, traditional Irish songs and Scottish ballads.

All events are free of charge, though donations are warmly welcomed. GR

Top Five

Discography Fresh, original and modern cuisine with East Asian influence.

Take your taste buds on an adventurous journey.

Salka Valsdóttir's Five Favorite Albums Words HREFNA BJÖRG GYLFADÓTTIR Photo ART BICNICK Salka Valsdóttir is a rapper from Reykjavíkurdætur famous for her flow and sick rhymes. The 101-based cool cat was raised in the theatre, with her father and siblings being actors and her mother a set designer. She knows her way around the stage and will surely bring it on the ongoing Reykjavíkurdætur tour, which travels through Denmark, Norway, Belgium and Spain. She took a quick pause from touring to tell us about her five all-time favourite albums.

Patti Smith – ‘Horses’ Patti Smith is probably the first female artist that I got obsessed with.

As a result she has sculpted my way of performing and writing music.

‘Horses’ is Patti’s debut album, released in 1975. Her raw vocals and poetry create a very special addition to the whole New York/Max's Kansas City punk scene. The songs are all powerful in their own way, which makes the album one of my all-time favourites.

Kendrick Lamar - ‘untitled unmastered’

Little Simz - ‘A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons’

Kendrick's latest album has a lot of elements that I really like. Some of the soundscapes remind me bit of David Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’, only with Kendrick’s rythmical and lyrical skills on top of it all. There is something really fresh about this album and the songs are all untitled so you kind of have to listen to the whole thing, which you won't regret.

Simz is my favorite British rapper.

This is her latest album, where she raises questions about fame and the consequences of success. It is kind of a concept album but the songs are still very different and interesting. Her lyrics are brilliantly put together and her flow is often breathtaking.

dj. flugvél og geimskip - ‘Glamúr í geimnum’

Since the comeback of Risaeðlan at Aldrei Fór Ég Suður, I’ve been rediscovering their brilliant songwriting. Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir and Magga Stína have vocal elements that never cease to make a song interesting! Add a saxophone and the violin and you’ve really got something special and timeless.

This is one of my favorite icelandic albums. There is something magical about the world of dj. flugvél og geimskip, some mixture of fun, childlike spirit and nostalgic, melancholy sadness. This album is full of fun and emotion!

Risaeðlan – ‘Efta!’

LISTEN AND SHARE: gpv.is/salka

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Music

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

44

ICELANDIC GOURMET MENU Freshly caught seafood and free range lamb – with a modern twist

Classical Music For The Masses Words KELLY REES Photo ????

6 COURSE

DINNER MENU STARTS WITH A “REFRESHING“ SHOT OF THE NATIONAL SNAPS BRENNIVÍN FOLLOWED BY A BITE-SIZED TASTE OF PUFFIN OCEAN PERCH Slow cooked ocean perch, beetroot purée, spicy butter, serrano ham, beetroot MINKE WHALE Shallot vinaigrette, crispy Jerusalem artichokes

It’s hard to miss the ten thousand geometric glass panels forming the Harpa concert hall and conference centre. And with the addition of this summer’s Reykjavík Classics programme, the performing arts centre hopes to attract even more attention.

The new series is a year-long collaborative effort between Harpa and Reykjavík City, spearheaded by artistic director and classical pianist Nína Margrét Grímsdóttir.

Iceland’s noticeable influx of tourists during the summer months inconveniently (or conveniently, dependent upon who you ask) coincides with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Icelandic Opera’s respite. Thus visitors and classical enthusiasts alike are denied that particular elation which arises only from listening to Schumann in a proper acoustic setting. This injustice will be put right beginning June 30. Daily classical concerts running from noon to 12:30 allow for a quick lunchtime dalliance with live music in the famous Eldborg Hall.

Classical music reactions are varied and can be dramatic. At times, the genre connotes pomposity and images of cravats. How-

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ever these affiliations are slowly changing and they’re stereotypes Nína hopes to eradicate within the series. “I’m adamant that people feel they don’t have to be experts,” she says. “So for instance, I tried to choose classical favorites like a Mozart flute quartet. At the same time I felt the programmes had to be innovative. For example, a guitar and piano duo, we don’t hear that much. But nothing is too complicated, it’s just beautiful music, that’s my criteria.” Concertgoers won’t find any dress-code stipulations or musical-theory prerequisites.

Eldborg hall is touted for its incredible acoustics. You may have forgotten what non-amplified music sounds like. As a quick PSA: not all sounds need come through speakers. “The acoustic part is very important,” Nína says. “Today, I don’t think we hear much music that is acoustic because everything is amplified but it’s important to exercise your listening capabilities.”

In total, the Reykjavík Classics series will include 46 concerts, seven programmes and twelve performers, on a rotating schedule.

Performances range from quartets to trumpet ensembles to piano and

flute duos, entirely composed of Icelandic musicians. Herself a classically trained pianist, Nína will be among the twelve performers.

Others will include members of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Icelandic Opera, and trusted colleagues from way back in the day.

Surprisingly, Nína says, traditional chamber music isn’t regularly played in Eldborg, hence the need for the likes of Manuel Ponce, Astor Piazzolla, and, perhaps the up-and-comer of the group, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. “I’m not focusing particularly on Icelandic pieces or contemporary music because I feel that there are other concert series that are doing justice to that,” she says. “In a way, I feel we live in a society where there is so much demand for everything to be new and everything to have never been done before. I’m going kind of against that because I think it’s important to take care of our traditional things that are tried and tested. So we have the masterworks, and they’re always valid.”

Reykjavík Classics begins Thursday, June 30 and runs daily until Sunday, August 14. Admission is 3,500 ISK— purchase tickets via en.harpa.is/ events/reykjavik-classics-1.

Life

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

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Holy Solstice, Please Let Us Sleep Words GEIDI RAUD, KELLEY REES, ISAAC WÜRMANN Photo ART BICNICK

Hallgrimskirkja's Friends of the Arts Society 34th season

THE INTERNATIONAL ORGAN SUMMER IN HALLGRÍMSKIRKJA 2016 June 18 – August 21 Lunchtime concerts

on Wednesdays at 12 noon

Iceland is known for its midnight sun—as early as May and as late as August, Iceland’s nights are as bright as its days. But beyond the initial shock of nearly 24 hours of daylight, there are some surprising sides of the solstice in Iceland, such as its folklore, the difficulties it causes when it comes to sleeping, and the challenges it presents to Muslims fasting for Ramadan.

The Folklore Behind Solstice Unlike its brethren in Norway and Denmark, the island nation doesn’t celebrate Summer Solstice with blazing bonfires or much else in the way of festivities, says Dr. Terry Gunnell, Professor in Folkloristics at the University of Iceland.

There is some discussion concerning midsummer in the King’s Saga but it’s thought that some time ago Norway changed the old pagan festivals to the current St. John’s Eve celebrations. However, while Norway’s St. John’s Eve merry-making involves roaring bonfires, people in Iceland just didn’t have the wood to burn.

“In Iceland, there are some stories about rolling naked in the dew in the morning of the Midsummer,” says Terry. “This idea that everything is renewed.” Terry also speaks of beliefs that there are powerful ties to good luck during the summer solstice and that it is a particularly good time to collect herbs, when still wet with midsummer dew.

Around this period is when Alþingi, Iceland’s national parliament, would open. Terry says it is likely that if there were midsummer festivities, they would have blended with the activities surrounding Alþing’s commencement.

A Guide To Getting A Good Sleep Psychologist Erla Björnsdóttir, who has a PhD in biomedical sciences, is helping people to get some sleep during the Iceland’s bright summer nights. She is counselling both Icelanders and foreigners who have trouble sleeping.

While most Icelanders have adjusted to it and actually enjoy the sunny days (and nights) because of the harsh winters (when there is only around four or five hours of effective daylight per 24 hours), for tourists it might not be so enjoyable. Not getting good quality sleep at nights can cause insomnia,

excessive daytime sleepiness, anxiety and depression. “Many foreigners come to my clinic to get help because they are having problems with sleeping. There are people from Portugal, Spain, the United States, Canada, Scandinavia, Mexico etc,” Erla says.

In most hotels the windows already have thick curtains. But if not, you can always ask staff for better curtains, which don’t let the brightness in.

If the curtains don’t do the job, buy yourself a sleeping mask or wear dark sunglasses. Yes, put on your sunglasses in bed and pretend that you’re on the beach. “You will look stupid but it really helps to fall asleep. Some tourists really need to use fake darkness,” confirms Erla.

Eat healthy and avoid consuming any alcohol and caffeine before going to sleep, and remember to relax and take it easy! “It’s really important not to take a long walk or run 10 kilometres before going to bed,” adds Erla.

Try to keep a regular sleep schedule and go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. That includes weekends.

Ramadan Under The Midnight Sun Muslims living in Iceland have some of the longest fasting times in the world this year, as Ramadan falls over the summer solstice.

Ramadan is a month-long period when Muslims observe a fast of food and water during daylight hours, and only break their fast when the sun goes down.

In a country such as Iceland, when the sun barely goes below the horizon during the summer, Muslims have only a few hours to break their fast. Rabia Yasmin Khosa, a Muslim from Pakistan who is observing her second Ramadan in Reykjavík, says on average they begin their fast at 2:20 in the morning, and break their fast at 11:50 at night.

“During this two and a half hour duration we have to eat and offer three prayers,” Rabia says.

She adds that for Muslims, fasting during Ramadan is to submit yourself to the will of God. Fasting also helps people experience the hunger of the poor, she says: “Unless you experience something like that for yourself, you can’t really empathize.”

This year, Ramadan will end on July 5, when the sun will set in Reykjavík at 11:47 before rising again a few short hours later at 3:17.

Weekend concerts

Saturday at 12 noon and Sunday at 5 pm with international concert organists

Schola cantorum

Hallgrimskirkja Chamber Choir

18. 6. 12 noon & 19. 6. 5 pm 25. 6. 12 noon & 26. 6. 5 pm 2. 7. 12 noon & 3. 7. 5 pm 9. 7. 12 noon & 10. 7. 5 pm 16. 7. 12 noon & 17. 7. 5 pm 23. 7. 12 noon & 24. 7. 5 pm 30. 7. 12 noon & 31. 7. 5 pm 6. 8. 12 noon & 7. 8. 5 pm 13. 8. 12 noon & 14. 8. 5 pm 20. 8. 12 noon & 21. 8. 5 pm

Thomas Ospital, St. Eustache, Paris, France.

Björn Steinar Sólbergsson, Hallgrímskirkja Leo van Doesselaer concert organist, The Netherlands Kári Þormar, Dómkirkjan, Reykjavík Katelyn Emerson, concert organist, USA Ligita Sneibe, concert organist, Latvia Douglas Cleveland, Plymouth Church, Seattle, USA Mattias Wager, Storkyrkan, Stockholm, Sweden Christoph Schöner, Michaeliskirche, Hamburg James McVinnie, concert organist, London

Lunchtime concerts

on Thursdays at 12 noon

In cooperation with Icelandic Organist Association

23. 6. Guðmundur Sigurðsson, Hafnarfjörður Church 30. 6. Hörður Áskelsson, Hallgrímskirkja 7. 7. Sigrún Magna Þórsteinsdóttir, Akureyri Church 14. 7. Lára Bryndís Eggertsdóttir organ, Iceland, and Dorothee Höjland saxophone, Denmark.

21. 7. Jón Bjarnason, Skálholt Cathedral 28. 7. Larry Allen organ and Scott Bell oboe, USA 4. 8. Friðrik Vignir Stefánsson, Seltjarnarnes Church 11. 8. Hörður Áskelsson Hallgrímskirkja and Sigríður Ósk Kristjánsdóttir alto.

18. 8. Kári Allansson, Háteigur Church, Reykjavík

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Movies

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

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Saga of Icelandic Cinema

"Provocations abound"

'Rokk í Reykjavík' Words MARK ASCH A legendary document of 101 cool in the pre-Inspired by Iceland era, rockumentary ‘Rokk í Reykjavík’ (1982) captures the ascendancy of a generation of young Icelanders taking American and British influences for granted, and moving beyond them to forge a pop culture parallel to international trends, while still authentically local.

The first feature-length film

by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson, ‘Rokk í Reykjavík’ profiles the punk and New Wave scene then emerging in downtown’s dingy basement clubs, and in semi-derelict old movie theatres and suburban dance halls.

There are interviews, in which band members hold forth on issues of the day—stagnant left-wing politics; drugs; the DIY spirit— but the film consists mostly of performances, both live gigs and full-band rehearsals for the camera. ‘Rokk í Reykjavík’ was filmed over the winter of ’81 and ’82 in vacant industrial spaces converted to practise studios; all-ages venues and sit-down nightclubs with tablecloths on the tables; anarchist crash pads with soundproofing egg crates on the ceilings and Sharpie’d graffiti on the walls; and, climactically, at Lækjartorg, on an outdoor stage, where the crowd wears leather and clothespins with scarves and ski parkas, a look that

will be familiar anyone who’s seen ‘We Are the Best!’

An Armed Forces Radio DJ is seen early in the film, spinning Loverboy, and the shadow of postwar rock ‘n’ roll, sent out from the NATO base to the impressionable citizens of Keflavík, still lingers via some very Deep Purplish riffs from the older bands. But the first-wave punk vibe is far stronger, notably in the Mark E. Smith-influenced vocal contortions of Purrkur Pillnikk’s Einar Örn Benediktsson, the future Sugarcubes cofounder and Bad Taste Records tastemaker who had already spent time in London, making connections that would lead to future opportunities as the ‘Rokk í Reykjavík’ generation came of age and formed and reformed new projects.

Bubbi Morthens, already a rising celebrity, sports leather pants and studded wristband, mugging through “Sieg Heil” and “Breyttir Tímar” (“Changing Times”) with his second band Egó, and slouching suggestively as he holds forth in interviews. Ragnhildur Gísladóttir’s all-girl Grýlurnar are here as is the Siouxsie sass of Q4U. Provocations abound: performance-art act Bruni BB decapitate live chickens with a paper cutter until the cops show up to turn on the lights; semilegendary Þeyr perform some

Ian Curtis fanfic, goose-stepping around Bessastaðir in Nazi regalia in time to their own jittery postpunk. “Bjarni Mohawk,” the fifteen-year-old lead singer of Sjálfsfróun (“Masturbation”), attacks his bass on stage with a hatchet, and smokes in his interview, as he holds forth on huffing and getting hassled by bus drivers. (His scenes were censored when the film aired on state television.)

But the movie’s biggest star is another teenager. Playing with Tappi Tíkarrass, sixteen-year-old Björk Guðmundsdóttir is dressed up in a pinafore, with baby-doll red cheeks and a lolly; she giggles and playfully dances with her bandmates—and then she starts singing. Her voice is still a teenage girl’s voice, but also recognizably Björk’s—that howl of depth and agency, a command to take her whims seriously as innovation.

Though ‘Rokk í Reykjavík’ shows Icelandic music’s continuity with its past and future, it’s also the first major showcase for a single already fully-formed genius.

How to watch: Stream it at icelandiccinemaonline.com, or check your local library.

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Full schedule at www.bioparadis.is /bioparadis

@bioparadis

s

@bioparadis

@bioparadis

Movie Listings

ICELANDIC GASTROPUB

Art In Its Highest Form 'Footloose' July 1, 20:00 at Bíó Paradís, Hverfisgata 54 (E5) Admission: 1,600 ISK

A young Kevin Bacon plays a teen from Chicago who’s forced to move out to the country and live with his aunt and uncle.

Upon arrival in the small town, he’s told that music and dancing have been banned. But have you seen Kevin Bacon?

Those hips weren’t created for nothing. The movie includes a truly classic scene of Kevin twirling, flipping, and just allaround dancing on high in an abandoned warehouse to the Moving Pictures’ “Never.” It is art in its highest form. A choreographed routine that will last for decades, nay centuries, to come. But will it be enough to shake the fervid townsfolk from their vehemently misconceived dance opposition? Sean Penn’s brother, Sarah Jessica Parker and John Lithgow also tag along for the ride! KR

Bíó Paradís For exact dates and times of film screenings, visit www.bioparadis.is.

'The Other Side' (France / Italy) A documentary film following the lives of drug addicts and anti-government militias in Louisiana.

‘The Assassin’ (Taiwan/China) A story of love, honour, politics and social ritual set against the picturesque backdrop of the Tang dynasty. (English subs)

'Fúsi' ('Virgin Mountain') (IS) Fúsi is in his forties and yet to find courage to enter the adult world. He sleepwalks through everyday life until a bubbly woman and an eight-year old girl unexpectedly enter his life. (English subs) 'Draumalandið' ('Dreamland') (IS) This documentary gradually shows a disturbing picture of corporate power taking over nature and small communities. It´s the dark side of green energy. (English subs)

‘The Blue Room’ (France)

‘Arabian Nights: Volume 2: The Desolate One’ (Portugal)

A crime thriller that begins with a man and a woman, in love, alone in a room.

Now the man is accused of something, but of what? (English subs)

The second film in an epic trilogy of more than six hours that is based on ‘One Thousand And One Nights'. (English subs)

'Anomalisa' (USA)

'Hross í Oss' ('Of Horses And Men') (IS)

A man crippled by the mundanity of his life experiences something out of the ordinary.

This 2013 drama features six interlocking stories that focus on the relationships between Icelanders in a rural setting.

(English subs)

'The Witch' (USA) A Puritan family in 1630s New England lives on the edge of woodland. After their infant son disappears their daughter turns out to be a witch and the family is torn apart by religious hysteria. 'Þrestir' ('Sparrows') (IS) In this coming of age story, Ari is forced to confront his relationship with this father against the dramatic backdrop of the Westfjords. (English subs) 'Heima' (IS) Ethereal post-rock pioneers Sigur Rós play a string of impromptu gigs in their native Iceland after finishing a world tour in 2006. (English subs) 'Hrútar' ('Rams') (IS) In a remote Icelandic farming valley, two brothers who haven’t spoken in 40 years have to come together in order to save what’s dearest to them—their sheep.

(English subs) '101 Reykjavík' (IS) Based on the internationally-acclaimed novel, this film follows Geek Hylnur as he approaches his thirtieth birthday.

Director Baltasar Kormákur explores the relationship between Geek and his mother, with whom he still lives. (English subs)

‘Jökullinn Logar' ('Inside A Volcano') (IS) How did the Icelandic football team make it all the way to the 2016 UEFA European Championship? This beautiful documentary captures the journey of the team and their incredible drive and spirit.

(English subs) ‘Concussion’ (USA) A film about Dr. Bennet Omalu, who uncovers the truth about brain damage among American football players.

‘Youth’ (Italy/France/UK/Switzerland) An examination of the relationship between ageing artist friends with different ideas about how to wrap up their creative careers.

‘Love 3D’ (France/Belgium) A story about a love triangle that celebrates sex in a joyous way—in 3D! ‘45 Years’ (UK) A couple receives unexpected and potentially life-changing news in the week ahead of their 45th wedding anniversary.

‘Son Of Saul’ (Hungary) A multiple award-winning film that takes an original and powerful look at the Holocaust. (English subs)

LOCAL FOOD AND BEER

Tasty and fun food made with fresh and local Icelandic ingredients.

We offer a unique selection of Icelandic beer – 20 bottled, 10 on draft, and artisan cocktails to enjoy alongside the food.

Drop by for lunch, late lunch, dinner or drinks in a casual and fun atmosphere.

Open 11:30–23:30

Hafnarstræti 1–3 / Tel. 555 2900 / saetasvinid.is

i8 Gallery Tryggvagata 16 101 Reykjavík info@i8.is

Art

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

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Emerging YOUNG ARTISTS

t: +354 551 3666 www.i8.is

Katrin by Berkley Vopnfjord

Representing Iceland at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017:

EGILL SÆBJÖRNSSON

From Ion Magazine

Katrín Braga Words HREFNA BJÖRG GYLFADÓTTIR Katrín Braga is an Icelandic photographer based in Vancouver. She started experimenting with film photography in secondary school, garnering attention for her colourful portraits of women. Katrín has since had her work published in publications such as Teen Vogue, VICE, Dazed, Indie Magazine, The Wild Magazine and Bullett Media.

When did you start taking photographs?

I accidentally found my father's old film camera when I was cleaning the storage room of my house; I was around fifteen or sixteen years old. I bought some film rolls for it and haven’t stopped shooting since. What attracted me the most to photography back then was that I could document my life visually and have a creative outlet.

What is your creative process?

My creative process is always different, so it’s very hard for me to pin that down. I try to work closely with the people I collaborate with so that everyone can have their creative input in the project. Photoshoots are a collaboration and I couldn’t create beautiful imagery

without the talented people I work with.

What inspires you?

Strong female personalities, especially the women who are closest to me. The women I surround myself with inspire me the most.

My goals now are to create something valuable and to feel connected with other people through my work. I shoot mostly women and I try to make them look and feel strong and empowered. I’ve heard so many stories from models who have felt really uncomfortable on set—who have been undermined in front of the camera. Some photographers take advantage of young models, which is horrible.

My goal is to do the exact opposite.

What is your favorite artwork, by you and/or another artist?

I’m obsessed with Alphonse Mucha and his “flowers” series. He paints mostly women wearing beautiful kimonos and dresses, and surrounds the subject with flowers and plants.

nitely different than being an artist in Vancouver. In Iceland, there's an endless supply of creative and talented people but not enough resources to make a living out of it, especially in photography. In Vancouver, it’s easier to find work in your field, but it’s harder to find people that want to collaborate or work with you—you really have to go out of your way to find them.

Vancouver also has an easier way of living and it's warm, while Iceland can be very cold and dark, so you have to work on creative things in order to not get depressed.

Future plans?

I recently began branching out into directing short documentaries and I find that process very interesting. It’s something I want to do more of in the future. My first short documentary explores the life of my grandfather, an ex-farmer and postman who has never left rural Iceland. In the film he discusses his father’s sixty-eight-year streak of daily diary entries, ending when he passed away in 1996.

How is it being an artist in Iceland?

Being an artist in Iceland is defi-

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Welcome to our new location in Bankastræti 7!

In Kraum you will find carefully selected products from over 100 Icelandic designers Kraum Bankastræti 7 (entrance of Cintamani) 101 Reykjavik (+354) 517-7797 www.kraum.is

Art

Listings

Icelandic.

Runs until December 31 Harpa - Icelanic Sagas: The Greatest Hits Think of it as the SparksNotes version of the legendary sagas, but funnier.

Runs until August 31 Wind And Weather Window Gallery - 'Morpho-logic' by Chirstopher Hickey A site-specific installation by Christopher Hickey at the museum that never closes.

Runs until August 28

Iceland On The Silver Screen Bíó Paradís Icelandic Film Summer Series All summer long! | Bíó Paradís, Hverfisgata 54 (E5) | Admission: 1,600 ISK

Icelandic cinema is having a bit of a moment. This summer, everyone can feel like they’re part of the country’s ascending film industry as Bíó Paradís screens the best of Icelandic cinema, new and old. All films will also be subtitled in English, so even non-Icelandic speakers can enjoy classics like ‘101 Reykjavík’, ‘Heima’ and ‘Dreamland’, as well as newer films such as ‘Hrútar’ (‘Rams’), ‘Þrestir’ (‘Sparrows’), ‘Fúsi’ (‘Virgin Mountain’) and ‘Hross í Oss’ (‘Of Horses And Men’). Expand your cultural horizons from the comfy seats of Iceland’s first and only arthouse cinema. IW

How to use the listings: Events are listed alphabetically.

For complete listings and detailed information on venues visit grapevine.is/happening. Send your listings to: listings@grapevine.is

Opening Árbær Open Air Museum - Annual Antique Automobile Day Members of the Classic Car Club of Iceland will be on site to chat with guests.

Runs July 3, 13:00-16:00 Hitt Húsið - Creative Summer Groups Hitt Húsið will be presenting emerging young artists throughout June and July with performances in the city centre culminating in a final festival on July 14.

Runs on July 8 at 12:00 and July 14 at 16:00 Icelandic Printmakers Association 'Mono No Aware / Slices Of Life' This exhibition of prints by Finnish artist Anita Jensen explores the aesthetic of Japanese literature and poetry during the Heian period.

Opens July 9 - Runs until July 24 Mengi - 'The Lucky Seat' A lecture performance by visual artist Bergur Andersen. Tickets are 2,000 ISK. July 14, 21:00 Perlan - 'Your World' An exhibition of five artists who each have a connection to Iceland, but who work in different media.

Opens July 2 - Runs until July 31 Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús Guided Tours Guided tours in English in Reykjavík downtown gallery.

Runs on July 1, July 8 and July 14, 16:00 Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús Film Programme: Man's Best Friends Films by Huldar Breiðfjörð and Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson will be screened to coincide with the 'KINGDOM: Flora, Fauna, Fable' exhibition.

Runs on July 7, 20:00

Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús Reykjavík Safari A guided tour of Reykjavík cultural life in Spanish, Polish, English, Vietnamese, Portuguese and Persian.

Runs on July 7, 20:00 Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús Art In Public Space A guided tour of public art in Reykjavík with artist Ásdís Spanó and architect Hugrún Þorsteinsdóttir.

Runs on July 14, 20:00 Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús Life At The Ends Of The Earth Films will be screened to coincide with the ´KINGDOM: Flora, Fauna, Fable' exhibition.

Runs on July 14, 20:00 Reykjavík Art Museum Kjarvalsstaðir - Trippy Tiptoe Tour Styrmir Örn Guðmundsson will be performing his Trippy Tiptoe Tour as part of the series 'Eternal Echoes: Homage to Kjarval.'

Opens July 7 - Runs until 9, 15:00

Ongoing Hannesarholt - 'Dramalandið' A solo exhibition by Arngunnur Ýr.

Runs until August 21 Harpa - 'The Session' 'The Session,' an exhibition by the photographer Gavin Evans is open in Esja, Harpa's newest exhibition area. Gavin is known for his portraits of famous subjects, including Morrissey, Ozzy Osbourne and Björk.

Runs until August 31 Harpa - 'Silent Flashes' This exhibition from the Icelandic Emigration Centre in Hofsós includes photos that explore the Icelandic emigration to North America.

Runs until August 31 Harpa - How To Become Icelandic In 60 Minutes A comedy show that teaches you everything you need to know about being

Akureyri Art Museum - 'Conspiracy of Pleasure' A group exhibition that examines how bodies are used for regulation and for pleasure.

Runs until August 21 Árbær Open Air Musem This museum has daily guided tours from 13:00 to 14:00 through its open air exhibits that showcase the architecutre and livelihood of 19th and 20th century Reykjavíkings.

On permanent view.

Edinborg Cultural Centre Ísafjörður 'Grettir' by the Comedytheatre A play based on one of Iceland's most famous sagas.

Runs until July 27 Flora Akureyri - 'Náttúru afl/Natural power' An exhibition by Ásta Guðmundsdóttir.

Runs until August 20 Gallery Sign - 'Gefið (það kemur í ljós)/Given (it will come to light)' A solo exhibition by American photographer Nina Zurier.

Runs until December 15 Gerðuberg Cultural Centre - 'Austan Rumba' by Hrafnhildur Inga Sigurðardóttir Runs until August 21 Hafnarborg - 'Traces of Water' Hafnarborg's summer exhibition features six artists who all use some form of water in their artworks.

Runs until August 21 Harbinger - 'Codependent' A six-week exhibition that will feature new artists every week, who will build upon what the last artists created in the gallery.

Runs until July 22 i8 Gallery - 'Stopover in Iceland' by Callum Innes Runs until August 6 Icelandic Printmakers Association - 'LAND' by Díana Margrét Hrafnsdóttir Open Thursday-Sunday, from 14:0018:00.

Runs until July 3 Lækjartorg - Reykjavík Comedy Walk Ticket price is 3,000 ISK for people older than 12 years of age.

Runs every evening until September 26.

Listasafnið Akureyri - 'Arkitektúr og Akureyri' An exhibition focusing on the architecture in Akureyri, a town in the north of Iceland.

Runs until August 28 Living Art Museum (Nýló) - '101 spurning til kvenna ' 101 questions for women is a third exhibition in the series 'women in Nýló'.

Runs until August 21 Museum of Design and Applied Art - 'Gefjun: Icelandic Wool blankets exhibited' This exhibition is a part of the 'Deal me in' series of micro-exhibitions curated

by MA-students in art theory at the university of Iceland.

Runs until further notice Nordic House - 'The Weather Diaries' Sarah Cooper and Nina Gorfer lead this group exhibit on how weather affects art with their photographs and installations.

Route 40 takes you to

Experience Icelandic Art and Design on your way to the Blue Lagoon

Route 40

Traces of Water May 27th – August 21th A group exhibition by six artists that all work with water in their works.

By Anna Rún Tryggvadóttir, Florence Lam, Harpa Árnadóttir, Hulda Stefánsdóttir, John Zurier and Margrét H. Blöndal.

Hafnarborg / The Hafnarfjordur Centre of Culture and Fine Art Strandgata 34, Hafnarfjörður Open 12–17 / Thursdays 12–21 Closed on Tuesdays www.hafnarborg.is

SARA BJÖRNSDÓTTIR: FLÂNEUR

Gerðarsafn Kópavogur Art Museum

27. May - 21. August 2016 An autobiographical journey through the artist‘s mystical state of mind during a stay in London.

Hamraborg 4, Kópavogur Open 11–17 / Closed on Mondays www.gerdarsafn.is

KEEPERS

Hönnunarsafn Íslands / Museum of Design and Applied Art

Icelandic design highlights, from the Collection

TRIAD March 9th - May 29th Fashion design, jewellery design, ceramic design

Garðatorg 1, Garðabær Open 12–17 / Closed on Mondays www.honnunarsafn.is

National Museum of Iceland

The Culture House National Museum of Iceland

The Culture House

The country’s largest museum of cultural history from settlement to present day.

Manuscripts, fine art, natural specimens, curiosities and archeaological findings form the exhibition Points of View.

Suðurgata 41 101 Reykjavík www.thjodminjasafn.is tel +354 530 22 00

Hverfisgata 15 101 Reykjavík www.safnahusid.is tel +354 530 22 10

The exhibitions, shops and cafés are open daily 10 - 17

Closed on Mondays 16/9 – 30/4

Mugison

Art

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

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Street

performs his own songs both in English and Icelandic

“Icelandic singer-songwriter Mugison already has a reputation abroad for bleak magic, on record and in solo appearances..”

“This is Beck on an Iceberg, Björk with a headache ..a towering talent”

“Mugison is Tom Waits harmonising with Will Oldham, and all the vistas Beck is supposed to suggest shoot up.”

VERY MANY TIMES A WEEK STARTS

LENGTH

PM

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8:30

60

PRICE

25 EURO

TA L K I N G W I L L B E 9 6 % I N E N G L I S H B E T W E E N S O N G S

Götuleikhúsið Turns Reykjavík Into A Stage “Even people that don’t like to go to theatre, everyone needs to see this.”

Words ISAAC WÜRMANN Photo ART BICNICK Before the city was swept up in the Icelandic men’s football team’s performance against Austria on June 22, a different kind of performance took place at Ingólfstorg.

A group of young actors dressed in football uniforms danced their way down Austurstræti before turning the downtown square into their stage, miming in slow motion the actions of Iceland’s latest national heroes.

It’s hard not to miss the theatrics of Götuleikhúsið if you’re spending any time in Reykjavík this summer. Their performance at Ingólfstorg was just one of a series of daily performances they’ve been holding on the streets of downtown since May 30. Götuleikhúsið, a project of Hitt Húsið that is currently in its twentieth year, aims to bring theatre to the public while providing youth with valuable work experience.

and perform public theatre on the city’s streets for Reykjavíkingar and tourists alike.

Jón says that over the years, Götuleikhúsið has been an important part of developing Iceland’s young acting talent. “You can look at the National Theatre or the City Theatre, and the majority of Icelandic actors have been in this,” he says.

“They’re performing every single day for two months, and twenty different performances throughout the summer, so it’s a very good school.”

As someone who has directed theatre in Iceland and in the United Kingdom, Jón says he helps to guide the performers and provide feedback. “But they make everything themselves,” he adds, from developing the concepts behind performances to pulling the different pieces together. “It’s a brainstorming process.”

Developing young talent

Bringing performance to the people

The nine actors in Götuleikhúsið (“The Street Theatre”) range in age from 17 to 25 years old, and are selected from over 100 people who audition, according to Jón Gunnar Þorðarson, the program’s art director. The actors are paid by the city of Reykjavík to develop

Some of Götuleikhúsið’s performances tackle difficult subjects.

On June 24, the performers held signs on Bankastræti displaying words such as “kærleikur” (“love”) and “jafnrétti” (“equal rights”).

They were dressed in clothes and masks to make themselves look

like elderly people, and hobbled from around the city to Bankastræti before hammering the signs into the ground. Finally, the actors watered the signs in an expression of hope that the ideas expressed on them would take root.

“We try to respond to what’s happening. Like we did this football thing two days ago when Iceland was competing. And this,” Jón says, gesturing to the performers on June 24, “is because tomorrow we are voting. And we just thought, well, maybe we should do something, and these are the words and the things that they want the President to think about, and people to think about when they are voting for the President.”

Jón says he hopes people understand why funding projects such as Götuleikhúsið is important. “Even people that don’t like to go to theatre, everyone needs to see this. And they accidentally see this street theatre, and I think people like it,” he says, adding that Götuleikhúsið will be continuing to perform daily shows around Reykjavík until July 22. “But the fun thing is also that anything is possible. Shakespeare said the whole world’s a stage, and this is the stage.”

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BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER O P E N 7-21

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Art Listings

Iceland’s 1’st Microbrewery & Bistro Printing Across Borders 'Slice Of Life' by Anita Jensen July 9 - July 24 | Icelandic Printmakers Association, Tryggvagata 17 (C3) | Admission: Free!

MICRO BREWERY & BISTRO ON THE HARBOUR Taste our brew lager PaleAle IPA SessionIPA RedAle DoubleIPA

Anita Jensen crosses geographical and artistic boundaries in her latest exhibition at the Icelandic Printmakers Association.

In ‘Mono No Aware / Slices Of Life,’ Anita uses borrowed images from Japanese family photo albums and creates photomontages by incorporating prints of natural motifs such as flowers. By using Japanese printing techniques, Anita harkens back to the aesthetic of classical literature and poetry of the Heian period. The gallery is open from 14:00 to 18:00 every Thursday through Sunday. IW

Reykjavík Art Museum Ásmundarsafn - 'Disruption' by Ásmundur Sveinsson and Elín Hansdóttir Elín and Ásmundur work with perspective in different ways.

Runs until October 9 Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús 'The Making of Erró' This exhibition explores Erró's early days as an artist, showing his experiments with self-expression, and his move from impressionist art to collages.

Runs until October 9 Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús 'Subselves Mean Well' by Arnfinnur Amazeen Arnfinnur examines the monotonous round of everyday life and the contradictory role of the person within.

Runs until August 7 Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús 'KINGDOM: Flora, Fauna, Fable' A group exhibition by contemporary artists who explore the nature in their works.

Runs until September 18 Reykjavík Art Museum Kjarvalsstaðir - 'Jóhannes S. Karval: Mind and World' The exhibition is compromised of rarely seen works form the private collection of Þorvaldur Guðmundsson and his wife Ingibjörg Guðmundsdóttir. Guided tours in English on May 20 and 27, and June 3.

Runs until August 21 Reykjavík City Library - Dark Deeds Literary Walking Tour A free tour of Icelandic literary landmarks, with a focus on ghost stories and crime fiction.

Runs every Thursday in June, July & August at 15:00 Reykjavík City Museum - 'Settlement Sagas: Accounts from Manuscripts' This exhibition has rarely seen manuscripts that tell the history of the settlement of Reykjavík.

On permanent view Reykjavík Maritime Museum - 'For Cod's Sake' An exhibition to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the end of the Cod Wars.

Runs until August 31

Reykjavík Maritime Museum - 'From Poverty to Abundance' Photos documenting Icelandic fishermen at the turn of the 20th century.

On permanent view Reykjavík Maritime Museum 'Seawomen - the fishing women of Iceland, past and present' On permanent view

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REYKJAVÍK HARBOUR

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Reykjavík Museum of Photography - 'Outlook' by Charlotta María Hauksdóttir A series of photographs shot in Iceland in the fall of 2015.

Runs until October 9 Reykjavík Museum of Photography 'Vanishing Cultures: Westfjords' by Þorvald Örn Kristmundsson Photos that depict the old way of life in the Westfjords, and the harsh conditions that have marked the daily lives of farmers.

Runs until September 11 Reykjavík Museum of Photography - 'An Island in Ölfus' by Valdimar Thorlacius Photos the depict a town in the south of Iceland, which is also the hometown of the photographer.

Runs until September 11

Guided tours daily Take a look around

The National Gallery - 'The Rhythm of Geysers' by Sigrún Harðardóttir An interactive video installation.

Runs until September 11 The National Gallery - Berlinde De Bruyckere Belgian artist Berlinde exhibits drawings and sculptures shaped by the traditions of the Flemish and German Renaissance.

Guided tours are held every Friday at 12:10.

Runs until September 4 The National Gallery - 'Ljósmálun' Various artists come together to study this connection between paintings and photographs and how the limits of the two different art forms are mixed.

Runs until September 9 The National Gallery - 'Udstilling af islandsk kunst' In 1927, the exhibition presented Icelandic art to the public in Copenhagen for the first time. This exhibition explores some of the works presented then.

Runs until September 11

isk 1.950

Harpa — Reykjavík Concert Hall and Conference Centre

11:00, 13:30, 15:30, 17:30 Austurbakki 2 101 Reykjavík Iceland

Open every day 08:00 – 24:00

HarpaReykjavik harpa.is

Brandenburg | SÍA

Runs until July 5

Art

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Art Listings

The National Gallery - 'Vasulka Chamber' Steina and Woody Vasulka are some of the pioneers in multimedia and video art, and have a show at the National Gallery. They began experimenting with electronic sound, stroboscopic light, and video in the late '60s and haven't stopped since.

On permanent view The National Gallery - 'En plain air Along the South Coast' by Ásgrímur Jónsson He documented his travels and homecoming in oil and watercolour paintings.

Runs until September 16 The National Museum of Iceland 'Bundled Up in Blue' This exhibition is centred around new archeological findings from bones believed to belong to a woman from the settlement era, discovered in 1938 in East Iceland.

Runs until August 31 The National Museum of Iceland 'The Making of A Nation' This exhibition is intended to provide insight into the history of the Icelandic nation from Settlement to the present day.

On permanent view The National Museum of Iceland 'What Is So Interesting About It?' In celebration of the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in Iceland, this exhibit presents examples of the work and struggles women have faced since gaining that suffrage.

Runs until August 31 The Einar Jónsson Museum The museum contains close to 300 artworks including a beautiful garden with 26 bronze casts of the artist’s sculptures.

On permanent view Tveir Hrafnar Gallery - 'Mósaík' by Steinunn Thóarinsdóttir Steinnun uses digital technology in an exhibition inspired by the ancient and the new.

Opens May 21

Shopping On The Streets Vesturbæjar Flea Market July 3, 12:00 - 17:00 | Hofsvallagata, 107 Reykjavík | Admission: Free!

Summer is here, which means it’s time to explore some of Reykjavík’s many flea markets! This Sunday, vendors will take over Hofsvallagata in the city’s Vesturbæjar neighbourhood, just west of downtown. New and used merchandise will be for sale, so come prepared for some good finds and to maybe even pick out that perfect summer outfit. The forecast is for sun, but because this is Reykjavík and we can never be too certain about the weather, nearby Kaffihús Vesturbæjar is the perfect place to compare flea market finds with friends and neighbours whatever the weather. IW

The Icelandic Phallological Museum The museum contains a collection of more than 215 penises and penile parts belonging to almost all the land and sea mammals that can be found in Iceland.

On permanent view Tjarnarbíó - Dracula's Pack A show where dance, theatre and music merge.

Runs on July 2 and July 5, 20:30 Tjarnarbíó - The Greatest Show in Iceland (Starring Björk Buðmundsdóttir* not the singer) A comedic performance by the theatre group Krass.

Runs July 8 at 20:30 Volcano House The exhibition gives a brief overview of Iceland’s magnificent nature.

On permanent view

Starring Björk Guðmundsdóttir* *Not the singer

The Greatest Show in Iceland July 8, 20:30 | Tjarnarbíó, Tjarnargata 12 (E3) | Admission: 3,500 ISK

“It’s sort of like reality TV on stage, exaggerated and eyecatching,” says Vilhelm Neto, one of the actors in 'The Greatest Show In Iceland, Starring Björk Guðmundsdóttir*'. The theatre production is performed and created by Krass, a group consisting of theatre students and aspiring actors. The show discusses matters such as whether or not Icelandic women are the most beautiful, whether Björk Guðmundsdóttir really is the best musician in the world, or if Iceland really is the best country. A comedic performance, which tackles Iceland’s self image in a hilarious way, enjoyable for locals and visitors alike. HBG

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Guides

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 7 — 2016

54

Where do we go now?

WORDS OF INTEREST

What to do on a rainy or sunny day Words KELLEY REES

Rainy Day:

The Pool

You’re thinking this should be over on the sunny side. But trust us, there is nothing better than being in a warm pool while refreshingly cold drops of rain plunk down upon you. You don’t have to remain indoors just because of grey skies and stormy weather. And when it comes to finding a convenient pool, Reykjavík’s got ya covered!

Stofan coffeehouse

Coffee shops—they’re just about everywhere. But for an overcast day you want a cosy hide-away.

With its exposed brick walls, hanging tapestries and velvet green armchairs, Stofan delivers the perfect ambience for finally reading that Russian novel you're always going on about finishing. Downstairs boasts a bar, cabinet of card and board games and a projector, which screens football matches.

Bíó Paradís

The eclectic, vintage-inspired movie theatre is located in the soul of downtown Reykjavík, making it the perfect location to duck in quickly, out of that troublesome rain (I mean really, who does it think it is).

Make sure to take in the walls dedicated to unique posters of classic movies. Bíó Paradís (a direct translation of Cinema Paradiso) tends to show indie and arthouse films, and are also currently screening a series of classic Icelandic movies.

This means that although you may not be presently experiencing the culture on the streets of Reykjavík, you’re still getting a taste of Icelandic cinema history, all the while remaining dry and toasty!

Bókin, used bookstore

If you emerge from the movie theatre with that pesky rain still hounding you—never fear, just down the block from Bíó Paradís sits Bókin, a wonderful used book store. Meander through rows of vintage books, minding your step, as piles of old maps and photographs tend to jump out from behind stacks of more books. Founded in 1964, it the shop was Bobby Fischer’s favorite bookstore.

Loki has found amusing to trouble you) is currently taking place outside and onto the University of Iceland campus. Once here, you’re golden. Check out the National Museum of Iceland, which gives a solid historic overview of the country. It also presently houses the great exhibition ‘A Woman’s Place…’, focusing on the working lives of women from 1915 up until 2015. Snag some postcards from the gift shop (and by snag I mean purchase legally and in an orderly fashion) and head to the cafeteria. Here you can sit and scribble underhanded jibes to friends who aren’t traveling to marvelous locales, and watch the goings-ons of your average Icelandic college student (they are strange yet majestic creatures, if at first a bit standoffish). The university cafeteria has a coffee shop, bookstore and food market; peruse at your leisure. After the postcards are written and you are properly fed, head around the corner to Stúdentakjallarinn (“The Student Cellar”), the campus bar. They have great happy hour prices and host ongoing events (from live music to pub quizzes to popcorn movie nights), and serve wonderful vegetarian options.

Sun: Picnic places

If the sun is exceptionally good, we recommend a picnic. Prepare a lunch at home and bring a blanket to downtown Reykjavík. If you’re are interested in people-watching, Austurvöllur is the best picnic spot. Stop by the liquor store at Austurstræti and grab a few beers (Víking Lite Lime or Sommersby is recommended) and enjoy the sun.

This is the most inexpensive preparty trick in Reykjavík. However, if you are looking for a more quiet or private picnic place, Klambratún should be your pick. It’s close to downtown as well and has a frolf (frisbee golf) course, a playground and a grill.

Bicycle rental

If you have no driver’s licence or are not fond of any horsepowers other than your own, you can also explore Iceland by bike. You can either stay in the city area or pedal out to glimpse the country’s wilderness. Cycling is a perfect way to see interesting landmarks and sights around Reykjavík—especially the ones outside walking distance from downtown. What is more, with bicycle ride you have exploring and training 2 in 1!

°F). Icelanders are happy for every sunny day that their cold oceanic climate provides them, as they enjoy themselves laying on the grass in parks and wearing thin summer clothing. Though tourists, commonly dressed in winter jackets, watch with amazement, they should really try to adapt to the conditions and enjoy the nordic summer. There are many beautiful parks and pools in Reykjavík where you can just relax and enjoy the sun. However, if the weather happens to be amazing (might happen once a year), Nauthólsvík beach is the spot.

Day tours

When it comes to day tours, Iceland can provide something for everyone. Start by riding towards sunset in the saddle of an Icelandic horse, or watching gigantic whales bathing in the ocean, and finish with the classic Golden Circle tour. The ones who are looking for something more extreme can climb down to a volcano’s belly, dive between tectonic plates, do some glacier hiking or explore ice caves.

Áfram Ísland!

Words & Images: EUNSAN HUH The Icelandic football team has been front and centre of every sports section lately for their record-setting feat in the Euro Cup. An estimated 20,000 Icelanders are registered in football clubs, making it the most popular sport in the country.

But before soccer took centre stage, the most recognized Icelandic sport was handball. There are fewer registered handball players (around 10,000), but the men’s handball team took home the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics, and the bronze medal in the 2010 European Championship.

Despite their popularity and accomplishments, neither soccer nor handball are the national sport of Iceland. That honour goes to “glíma” or “wrestling.” While not as many people actually partake in “glíma,” it has deep roots in Viking tradition. It came over with the first Norwegian settlers, and according to the Sagas, a man’s physical strength was not only a necessity for survival, but also a source of pride and respect.

Tinder dates

Tinder isn’t JUST for looking for one-night stands. It is actually possible to use Tinder to meet some pretty cool and friendly people who can show you around and take you to fun and cool places only known by locals. You can add information to your Tinder profile and mention that you are not into meaningless relationships but rather looking for new friends and fellow adventurers, that way there will be no misunderstandings. But if you, by any chance, are looking for love then what would be more romantic than a date under Iceland’s midnight sun?

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It’s no wonder then that Iceland holds the record for most number of championships won in the World’s Strongest Man competition. Magnús Ver Magnússon and Jón Páll Sigmarsson crushed it in the 90s, claiming four victories each. And who can forget Hafþór Björnsson, “The Mountain” on ‘Game of Thrones’, who, earlier this year, broke a 1000-year-old record for carrying a colossal log weighing 650kg (1433lbs). #Icelandsmites indeed.

Every Single Word in Icelandic (http://everysingleword.is) is a pictographic exploration of the Icelandic language. I find an interesting compound word, then deconstruct and illustrate it as icons. The goal is to express how Icelandic can be deadpan literal and unexpectedly poetic at the same time.

An absolute must-try!

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Sunbathing

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Food

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

56

All The Icelandic Candy!

Harðfiskur Food Of The Issue

Words ISAAC WÜRMANN Photo ART BICNICK

EST 2006

Tryggvagata 11,Volcano house Tel:511-1118 Mon-Sun 12:00-21:00 www.fishandchips.is

THE NEW LEGEND NEW VERSIONS OF THE ICELANDIC HOT DOG

going back for more. The only reason you won’t go through an entire bag in one sitting is that your jaw will be sore after a few pieces thanks to all the chewing it takes to break through the woody texture.

Athletic types will also be happy to hear that harðfiskur is, like, the energy food, even more so than that liquorice Alexander the Great fed his troops (see last week’s candy column for more info). Good harðfiskur is up to 80% protein, meaning it will keep you going through even the toughest hikes and glacier-crossings that this island has to offer.

Bonus points for feeling like a real badass as you gnaw on a dried fish fillet atop an Icelandic mountain peak. Extra bonus points for being able to use harðfiskur as a bat to fight off drunken revellers after djammið on a Reykjavík Saturday night.

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B E ST T HA I F O OD 2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015 TOP TEN

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BanThai RESTAURANT

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INGÓLFSTORG

Icelandic diets for centuries. It’s made by drying fish, most often cod, but also haddock and wolffish, in the cold North Atlantic air until it becomes cured by bacteria, similar to the process of maturing cheese. Once it’s dried, the fish turns hard and yellow, and isn’t really edible until it’s pounded by a meat mallet, turning it into the softer harðfiskur that Icelanders know and love. All over the island you’ll see harðfiskur hanging to dry. Up close, the process looks more like a crime scene than anything else, with fish heads pointed to the heavens and the stench of rot in the air. But you needn’t venture far from Reykjavík to taste harðfiskur yourself—you’ll find it at nearly every grocery store.

In the end, though, like most things in this country, the harðfiskur eventually won me over. The taste is comparable to other dried meats, and you could probably get away with describing harðfiskur as “fish jerky.” Once it’s slathered with butter, it’s hard not to keep

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“What’s that stuff wrapped in plastic?” asked my friend visiting from Canada as we wandered around Bónus. “Is it fish?” I muttered something vague in response, about dried fish, about Icelanders loving the stuff, about photos I had seen of fish hanging from wooden beams set against an ocean backdrop. I hadn’t yet tried harðfiskur, and I wasn’t about to proceed without the guidance of someone much more well-versed in the ways of Icelandic cuisine than me.

The next day, half the office was crowded into the kitchen of Grapevine headquarters, passing around a bag of harðfiskur. Debates ensued over whether or not it was imperative to eat the dried fish with cold butter, room-temperature butter, or if butter was even necessary at all. (The consensus was eventually in favour of cold butter.) “It’s like eating wood,” said one of my fellow interns. I compared the texture to that of a carpet, or a tough woolen rug.

Harðfiskur has been a staple in

FOOD IS MADE FRESH FROM SCRATCH,

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Restaurants

Sæta Svínið & Johansen Deli Words by ELIJAH PETZOLD Photos by HREFNA BJÖRG

Let Them Eat Fish Messinn, Matur & Drykkur and Icelandic Fish & Chips Words YORK UNDERWOOD Photo ALISA KALYANOVA Believe it or not, fish restaurants are relatively new in Iceland. Cod was sold from Iceland to the rest of the world, but wasn’t available to the average Icelander. It was, like everything here, too expensive.

Of course cheaper fish was a staple, such as haddock. A dish like plokkfiskur, or fish stew, was a way of getting fish and padding it with the calories of potatoes, making Icelandic comfort food. Nowadays, tourists want fresh fish almost as soon as they arrive. Icelanders want to enjoy the spoils of the Cod War against Britain. How you want your fish, depends on your mood. It also depends on where you go.

Sometimes you just want fresh fish deep-fried. Icelandic Fish & Chips does this well. I would argue, much like football, Iceland does this better than Britain. The fish is fresh and the batter is light and crispy, with Skyronnes®, a skyrbased dipping sauce that comes in nine variations (with the standard tartar sauce included). This is the best way to try Icelandic fish—es-

pecially for the picky eater. If it’s fresh, try the steinbítur, Atlantic wolffish. It’s as ugly in life as it is delicious in death.

We all have a friend or relative who can cook fish perfectly. It’s almost annoying. You can see their smug face when their fork pierces your overcooked salmon, flaking it off the skin before they announce to the table that everyone should come over for dinner at their house sometime. Messin is that person.

It makes simple meals: fish, potatoes, vegetables—all cooked, and this isn’t an advertisement, to perfection. It only opened a few weeks ago, but Messinn is Reykjavík’s answer to the Ísafjörður institution Tjöruhusið, which is a good comparison for their chefs, if not their accountants.

Matur og Drykkur is a restaurant based on the classic Icelandic cookbook of the same name.

It gives a much needed boost to classic Icelandic cuisine. It’s fine dining that gives you a gentrified culinary history of Iceland. You will

#109

be suspicious of some items: trout smoked with sheep’s dung and cod’s head cooked in chicken stock with dulse. Don’t be. Sheep’s dung was traditionally used to smoke things in Iceland. There aren’t a lot of trees in general. Cod’s head was the cheap part of the fish that Icelanders could afford to take home, while selling the rest of the fish to richer nations.

Have fish while you are in Iceland. If this article was a listicle, it would be titled “Three Places To Eat Fish In Iceland From Least To Most Adventurous.” That wouldn’t be exactly fair, though. I think a normally picky eater would enjoy Matur og Drykkur and a foodie would love Icelandic Fish & Chips.

The prices aren’t too different either. It’s Iceland. Everything is expensive so Icelanders can make enough money to afford to eat out too. Well, at least when their foreign friends come to visit and take them out.

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Dill is a Nordic restaurant with its focus on Iceland, the pure nature and all the good things coming from it.

It does not matter if it’s the ingredients or the old traditions, we try to hold firmly on to both.

There are not many things that make us happier than giving life to old traditions and forgotten ingredients with modern technique and our creative mind as a weapon.

Reykjavik

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TRAVEL 58

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

Getting High Two days of hiking in the otherworldly Þórsmörk Words JOHN ROGERS Photos ART BICNICK

Hiking The tarmac of Þórsmerkurvegur ends abruptly, a few kilometres inland from Seljalandsfoss, with a sudden bump that rouses the bus’s passengers from their slumber.

The interruption is welcome.

It signals that we’re close to our destination: the sequestered, famously beautiful southern region of Þórsmörk. This wild region’s relative inaccessibility is part of its charm; it’s sealed off from casual visitors by several unpredictable, constantly shifting glacial rivers.

We trundle through them slowly, one after the other, observing safely from the high cabin of the monstrous 4x4 bus. The final hurdle is the treacherous Krossá, so-called because it criss-crosses itself across the valley floor. The driver shifts into a low gear and crawls through the deep, silty wa-

Accommodation volcanohuts.com

ter. Emerging on the far side, we pass a pair of hikers who’ve wisely chosen to leave their car behind, using a heavy-duty movable footbridge that sits over the river to continue their journey on foot.

The onward road deteriorates into a set of tyre marks across a vast, ashen glacial floodplain. To our right, the peak of Eyjafjallajökull emerges for a moment, hanging improbably high in the swirling clouds. To the left, a range of large, rough mountains appear through a distant sandstorm.

We’re just entering Þórsmörk, and it already feels like another world.

Wild life Our home for the next few days is the Volcano Huts—a speck of

civilisation in the dramatic expanse of the landscape. This small cluster of wooden chalets sits on a fenced-off plot of land, sheltered by the Þórsmörk mountain ridge, that also holds a campsite, a restaurant, a shower block, a steaming geothermal hot pot and a small sauna. Full of anticipation, we drop off our bags, pick up a trail map, and head out to start the hike to the nearby 480m peak of Valahnúkur.

The path plunges immediately into some verdant woodland, meandering through a birch forest, crossing several dry stream beds. Soon, we reach the long plateau where the mountain ascent begins. It doesn’t take long to reach the top of Valahnúkur, but as we catch our breath and take in the surrounding moun-

tain view, the weather starts to turn. A fast-moving wall of cloud appears, speeding towards us from the sea and obscuring the grey, river-riddled valley floor. As it’s about to hit, it turns upwards suddenly, encountering the bulge of the Þórsmörk ridge. The wispy clouds—as if they have a mind of their own—curl upwards, wrapping over our heads, and then dive down behind us in a cold embrace of the mountain.

Off road The pathways are marked on the trail map by their condition. Some are strong lines, meaning they’re well-maintained trails; dotted lines, indicating some level of decay; and red lines, that warn of

steepness or difficulty. After descending through a deep white fog and deciding to take a trail that circles the plateau, we descend into a rugged, grassy canyon, green with moss and alive with bees and butterflies. But when the trail terminates at the bank of the swollen Krossá river, we realise we’ve stumbled onto one of the dotted lines.

For the next three hours, we negotiate a completely wild mountainside. It’s a mind-clearing type of hiking that requires focus and creativity—we climb over huge fallen boulders, scramble up and down steep gravel hills, visit gaping caves, and tiptoe carefully down the bank of the gushing Krossá. The only sign of humankind is the occasional waymarker—tiny, broken wooden spikes

GRÍMSEY ÍSAFJÖRÐUR

ÞÓRSHÖFN VOPNAFJÖRÐUR AKUREYRI EGILSSTAÐIR

REYKJAVÍK

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

59 TRAVEL

Distance from Rvk 145 km

with peeling red paint, half-hidden amongst the flora and rubble of this perfectly untouched wilderness.

a variety of obstacles and taking vertigo-inducing scrambles to find the onward route.

On high

Another world

The next day, we head out to hike the Tindfjöll circle, the longest route on the map. It begins with a walk up the Krossá valley. The flat grey expanse is unexpectedly colourful up close, with patches of orange moss, white-flowering anjelica and purple Arctic thyme growing amongst the earthy lava pebbles and ashen sand.

After an hour, the path enters a wooded mountainside, and quickly becomes a narrow, winding ledge, etched into the mountainside. We’re soon hundreds metres up on the wooden slope, scaling

The halfway point is a high, rain-lashed plateau studded with gleaming black pebbles. To our east, the Mýrdalsjökull glacier rears high above a foggy range of textured, pastel-coloured purple bulges and greenish mountains that recede gradually out of sight into the thick mist, and to the west we look down onto the top of Valahnúkur, which seems small, suddenly, from this elevated perspective.

The second half of the circle sees the path skirting the undulating lip of a spectacular canyon. We wind our way along the dizzyingly

high cliffs, crossing steep scree banks, pausing at a huge standing rock known as Tröllakirkja (“troll church”). The path vanishes intermittently, subsumed by frozen snow. We kick footholds into the ice to cross the sheer surface, testing with every step in case of water flowing beneath. The near-vertical drop to our right is dizzying and ever-present. The Tindfjöll circle is not for the faint of heart.

Eventually, we descend once more, walking down the peak of a long ridge into a glorious, bright red forest. The lights of the Volcano Huts appear in the distance, and we walk the last stretch looking forward to a long soak, a hot meal, and a final deep and wellearned sleep in this oddly moving and truly unforgettable place.

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ÍSAFJÖRÐUR ICELAND’S WESTFJORDS ARE ONLY 40 MINUTES AWAY

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TRAVEL 60

DAY TOURS

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

IN BUS AUDIO GUIDE On this tour, each seat is equipped with a hand-held touch screen tablet with a GPS sensitive app, that gives expertly written and recorded guiding on demand. Available in 10 languages. English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Finnish, Chinese, Japanese & Korean.

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Chas Geomans and his Trail Team volunteers are caring for Þórsmörk Words & Photos JOHN ROGERS

Other than the Volcano Huts and a couple of small farms, one of the only regularly inhabited spots in the wild expanse of Þórsmörk is Húsadalur, on the edge of the Krossá valley. There’s not much there: a campsite, a shower block and, tucked away behind some trees, a small, unobtrusive camp with some a tool sheds, a kitchen, a communal seating area and snack shop.

For several months of the year, this place is home to a group of international volunteers who, under the guidance of organiser Chas Geomans, will spend the summer helping to maintain and restore the region's 70km network of trails and paths.

Chas is a quiet fellow who boils up some water for coffee while he explains his work. “We maintain the trails,” he explains, “and we work on improving access, and generally keeping the place nice.

We do erosion control, and a bit of work with invasive plants. If we want to encourage a variety of local flora and fauna, we can’t have a monoculture of lupin fields. That part is a bit controversial. But we just check its spread and try to be

careful about it." Þórsmörk is, surprisingly, not a national park, but is rather under the jurisdiction of the forestry service, who've helped fund the initiative for the past few years.

Children of the forest “It’s expensive to be here, even though it’s volunteer work,” explains Chas. “We need good transport, tools, food, equipment. That money comes from the state—from the forestry commission, and an organisation called Friends of Þórsmörk who apply for funding.”

As well as these organisations, there are various tourism companies, school groups and hiking groups who come to use the area.

Chas speaks fondly about the harmony that exists between this wilderness community.

“We have all kinds of organisations here,” he says, "and they're all friends and partners. There’s a special atmosphere between everyone. People are running different businesses and such, but it all works very well. For example, the

bus company gave us seventy free tickets to get our volunteers here.

They don’t ask for much from us— they just want to help.”

Respecting the nature The wood used to make steps and irrigation channels is all provided by the forestry commission. “We get off-cuts that aren’t much use commercially,” explains Chas.

“They can’t be turned into boards because they’re too small. They’d probably chip it, if we didn’t use it. Be we can turn it into steps.

We come from the conservation angle, so we’re always trying to do low-impact work, using natural materials." "Þórsmörk has a special place in the heart of Icelanders,” finishes Chas. “A lot of them came here as children. And many people want to walk these fragile trails.

It’s a special place, and the conservation element is really important."

Find out more, or volunteer to help maintain Þórsmörk, at trailteam.is.

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TRAVEL 62

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

The road over Sigluf jarðarskarð NEWS (Siglufjörður pass) is reopening after IN BRIEF being closed for the past three summers. The dangerous mountain road was laid in 1940 and served the people of Siglufjörður until the tunnel Strákagöng were built in in 1967. Today it functions as a popular hiking trail and is only open to specially equipped vehicles. Local touring company BogG Tours offer trips for tourists (and locals!); for further information contact Fjallabyggð tourist information.

TRAVEL

The roads into the highlands are open and, unlike everything else in Iceland, they’re ahead of schedule. The highlands are one of the least explored areas by tourists, as they are only open a few weeks of the year.

Even the roads in the east have opened up, allowing travellers into the Arctic Desert. Route F35, from Gullfoss northwards almost to Blönduós, has been cleared for travel as well. Make sure you check a map online before heading into the highlands and remember: shaded areas are not only illegal to travel on, but very dangerous.

Brits make up one fifth of the tourists visiting Iceland and with the economic fallout of Brexit, this number could be reduced significantly. Visitors from Britain come visit in the winter, taking advantage of the cheap flights, but with the pound in free-fall, this group may be effected.

To combat this issue, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lilja Alfreðsdóttir has already began discussions to build new trade agreements with Britain. However, bartenders in Iceland see a silver lining: fewer Brits means fewer annoying stag parties, and they never tip anyway.

Words York Underwood & Helga Þórey Jónsdóttir

No Way In Hell Is This Country On Planet Earth Getting distracted on the way to Snæfellsnes

Words & Photos GEIDI RAUD

Having heard horrifying (yet somewhat amusing) stories about tourists getting stuck in the mountains in their little VW Beetles, my friends and I decided to rent a four-wheel drive for a road trip on a recent summer’s day. We packed up some salmon sandwiches and drinking water, and off we went, heading for the western parts of the country.

Our final destination was the Snæfellsjökull National Park. It was only a three-hour drive, but

we didn’t make it that far. Why, you ask? Because the landscape was so amazing that we had to pull over every five kilometres to take photos, and just enjoy it.

When we were driving on Froads (the narrow gravel highland roads that are opened only during the summer) it felt less like a road trip than a lunar expedition.

There were ancient lava fields of black rocks, covered with green and gray moss. The landscape is as extraterrestrial as it gets here

on Earth. Beside the road there were glaciers and it was really fun to stop the car in the middle of the nowhere and go and have a summer snowball fight, wearing nothing but thin blouses, jeans and sneakers.

Having passed these challenging roads, we arrived at Hraunfossar. This series of waterfalls is made up of rivulets streaming from the Hallmundarhraun lava field over a distance of about 900 metres. The lava field was formed when hot lava erupted from one of the volcanoes lying under the glacier Langjökull, long ago. The powerful water flowing down along the cliffs made me feel fresh and alive—it’s amazing how magical it felt.

From there the road took us to the small town of Stykkishólmur.

The town was one of the filming locations of Ben Stiller's movie ‘The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty’.

The town was just adorable and it was really cool to just sit on the pier and look at the ocean and the

sun. So there we were, waiting for a night that never came. Also we enjoyed a nice meal in the local seafood restaurant.

In the midnight hour we drove along the coastline towards Grundarfjörður. Nothing indicated that it was night—it was still bright as we stopped for a walk over a green field that glowed under the golden sunbeams. I felt like Gandalf walking in Middle Earth, and felt blessed to see the ocean shining under the midnight sun.

We headed back to the capital under bright orange and strawberry-pink skies. It finally got dark when we entered to the six-kilometre Hvalfjörður tunnel, which shortens the distance from Reykjavík to the western and northern parts of the island by 45 kilometres. But when we emerged, it was bright once again. Darkness has no place in Iceland’s summer nights.

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

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Within minutes of entering Selfoss, Hrefna and I are lost. “I think we were supposed to take the other exit,” I say, but there are trucks riding our ass and before we know it we’re on the outskirts of town.

To people who have only driven through Selfoss to get to more exciting destinations, the prospect of getting lost here might seem absurd, but with a population of over 6,000 people, this dot on the map between Hveragerði and Hella is the largest population centre in the south of Iceland.

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Once we’re back on track, our first stop is Bókakaffið, the local bookstore and café. But it’s closed until noon, so we find ourselves drawn to Sjafnarblóm, a quaint shop across the street whose entrance is loaded with colourful baskets of flowers. The flower shop shares the building with an independent food store and the Bobby Fischer museum—strange bedfellows for a town that’s perhaps most wellknown as the location stamped on most Icelandic dairy products (thanks, Mjólkursamsalan monopoly).

Bobby Fischer’s relationship to Iceland is one of the stranger

episodes in the country’s history.

The American chess grandmaster played an infamous Cold War-era match against Soviet chess champion Boris Spassky in Reykjavík in 1972, but Bobby’s anti-Semitic comments in the following years shrouded him in controversy.

When his American passport was revoked in 2004, Bobby was granted citizenship by Iceland and lived in Reykjavík until his death in 2008, when he was buried at his request in Selfoss. But the museum doesn’t open until 1 p.m.

(I’m sensing a trend), so actually seeing any Bobby memorabilia up close will have to wait for another road trip.

A Communist Book Collector’s Dream Back across the street, Bókakaffið is open and there are already people milling through the stacks.

Elín Gunnlaugsdóttir, one of the owners, proudly tells us it’s the only book store in Iceland’s south, and she’s carefully cultivated an atmosphere where customers can sip coffee surrounded by floor-toceiling shelves of books in Icelandic, English and other languages.

The store’s clientele is diverse, Elín tells us, and includes a Chinese book collector who orders

Icelandic-language books about communism from their online store.

Before sending us on our way, Elín recommends that we check out the church, so Hrefna and I follow signs to the nearest kirkjan. Again, we find ourselves lost on a lonely road outside of town.

We end up at the diminutive Laugardalur Church, which is surrounded by fields and farmhouses that seem empty except for a few horses. “This can’t be the right one,” one of us eventually says.

We’re about to leave when we look down and see that we’re nearly standing on the gravestone of one Robert James Fischer.

Cut From The Same Cloth Back in town, the Ölfusá River glows aquamarine even under the grey sky. Set against a dramatic mountain complete with some houses built into a hill, it’s the quintessential Icelandic scene.

Hrefna comments that many small towns on the island look the same, and if that’s the case, Selfoss might have been the original template.

Our pitstop in Selfoss ends with a stop at Tryggvaskáli, a restaurant in the oldest building in town. The decor inside is an eclectic mix of memorabilia from the town’s history, which seems fitting given the quirky characters that makes stopping in Selfoss worthwhile. After all, it’s the only place in Iceland where you’ll accidentally stumble across Bobby Fischer’s grave.

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TRAVEL 66

Elevation: 844m

The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

Ascent time: 2.5-3 hrs

Length: 6-7 km

Map no.: 26

Hafnarfjall: Fun climb at the highway Words ARI TRAUSTI GUÐMUNDSSON Photo RAGNAR TH. SIGURÐSSON A cluster of peaks rises to over 800 metres west of the Skarðsheiði massif and close to the town of Borgarnes (www.borgarbyggd. is). Iceland’s Ring Road skirts the peaks’ base. These are Hafnarfjall (höfn: “harbour”; fjall: “mountain”), the ruins of a large central volcano (some four to six million years old), including the obscure remains of a caldera and a small intrusion of pure gabbro rarely seen in Iceland. It is customary to climb to the low peak facing the sea, or to summit at the highest peak (Gildalshnúkur, the second to the east), by hiking along the

ridge above Route 1 (a path is found most of the way). This route is described here. A more demanding route is a three-peak-circle, starting with a climb of the northernmost peak (the summit to the left when facing the mountain at the starting point in the bowl-shaped valley among the peaks). The tour requires safe route-finding in scree and along cliff ledges, as well as finding a narrow cleft leading through the cliffs of the first peak.

Elevation difference: 800 m

Route description

Before the Borgarfjörður bridge and the town of Borgarnes, look for a gravel road to Háumelar. The route starts at a small river that flows from the huge cirque in Hafnarfjall. Follow the right-hand river bank into the cirque until you reach a tiny concrete dam. Right of the dam, the trail to the top is a quick find. Climb the long ridge, safely and steadily (be aware of long drops on the side above the highway). The small peak at the end of the ridge is sometimes coined as “the end” of the hike, but you can head for the next and much steeper summit, still more or less on a trail. No hands-on climbing, though. From up there, you may look far and wide over land and sea (bring a handy map along so you know what you’re looking at).

Difficulty rating: 4 Overall rating: 7

Route character

A great hike close to the capital area with fine views.

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On The Road: Hjörleifshöfði

By JOHN ROGERS Photo ART BICNICK As you drive the ring road towards Vík and Höfn, you’ll see some intriguing “inland islands” towering up from the flat coastal lands along the way. One of the most prominent of these is Hjörleifshöfði—a 221m tuff island that rises from the flat glacial meltwater sand plains of Mýrdalssandur, just east of Vík. It’s thought that Hjörleifshöfði was once surrounded by water, but it now sits 2km inland from the sea.

If you’ve the time to stop for a look, there’s some interesting history attached to the place.

Hjörleifur, after whom the island

is named, was the foster brother of Ingólfur Arnarson, commonly thought of as the first Nordic settler of Iceland. The two each settled their own homestead, but Hjörleifur was apparently killed by his Irish slaves, who fled to what are now known, for them, as the Westman Islands, where they were hunted down and killed by the vengeful Ingólfur. A grave reputed to that of Hjörleifur, and named Hjörleifshaugur, sits on the top of the island.

Later, a farm was founded on the land next to the island, and stayed there until 1936, when it

was swept away by glacial flood.

After that the farm’s buildings were moved from the sand to the island’s crest. It was considered a good farming spot because of its rich soil, the wild birds that could be hunted, and the sea bird eggs that could be collected by foraging the cliffs. Today, as well as a great view of the surrounding region, the gravesite and the farm ruins are still visible. There are a few paths to the top, with the easiest route found at the southwestern edge.

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

SAGA RECAP

Episode 12: Saga of Eiríkur the Red

HUMANS OF REYKJAVÍK

Words GRAYSON DEL FARO Art INGA MARIA BRYNJARS­DÓTTIR Let’s just get this out of the way upfront: forget what the history books told you because Columbus did not “discover” the Americas.

Several hundred years before he set out across the Atlantic, the Norsemen sailed along the coasts of what is now Canada and made settlements there, if only temporarily. But lemme tell you something else: they didn’t “discover” the Americas either. I should hope it’s not news to you that there were millions of indigenous people already thriving there for lawdknows-how-long. I mean, how do you even “discover” a place where people already live?

Despite the tenuous encounters with the natives described in this Saga, there luckily remains no Saga of Ísak the Inuit-SkullCrusher or anything of that shitty sort. So we’ll content ourselves with the Saga of Eiríkur the Red, the story of the Norse settlements in Greenland and the sarcastically quotation-marked “discovery” of North America.

Iceland is green and Greenland is STFU This story begins with the usual entire chapter of who was the son of who before getting to part where Greenland is named. Then some guy named Eiríkur is outlawed from Iceland and goes to live in a land he’d heard spoken of to the west. He calls it Greenland, hoping people will want to settle there if “it has a nice name.” This

BOOK& GET E ONLIN s

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is the origin of that stupid phrase ever: Christianity. Then there is an which anyone who’s ever told any illness that kills a bunch of people, English speaker that they’ve been but their corpses all get up and to Iceland have probably heard: start wreaking all kinds of havoc “Iceland is green and Greenland because they weren’t given Chrisis ice, right?” Whether or not you tian burials. This is remedied for responded with, “And your eye is Christ’s literal sake. black, bitch” and a punch to their Then, for no goddamn reason dumb face, you can blame Eiríkur at all, they decide to go to Vinland, even though it’s never been for starting it.

Eiríkur’s buddy Þórbjörn goes mentioned before and they preout to live with him in Green- sumably haven’t named it. They land. It’s a bad fishing year for sail along the coast of what is prethem over there, but some witch sumably now Nunavut, giving the comes around offering to tell the regions very beautiful names like future. They make her some por- Flat-slab-of-stone-land and Borridge from goat milk and animal der-of-the-forest-land. They have two Scottish peohearts (yum) but she ple with them, who also needs someone can apparently run to sing some kind of “faster than wild incantation called a beasts,” and they “weird song.” Luckily, use them to scout Þórbjörn’s daughter out a nice place to Guðríður knows it so 1. If it’s not your stay for winter. she’s got the witch’s country, interact When they back. She foretells the with the people come back with a fishing will be fine there on their handful of grapes, and that Guðríður terms or GTFO. which totally don’t will find a hella hot 2. When you go on husband in Greenvacation, bring your grow wild in Newfoundland, they deland but eventually loved ones back cide to settle there. go back to Iceland to a nice souvenir, But the fishing have many awesome not Christianity. sucks balls and evbabies. Score!

Maybe something eryone is starving more useful, like a so they eat some magnet. random whale that washes up on shore and everyone gets So Eiríkur’s son Leifur (you might sick. When one dude says he rehave heard of him by his angli- cited a poem for the god Þórr and cized name Leif Eiriksson) goes the whale must be a gift from him to Norway, gets converted, and in return, they all pray to Jesus inbrings back the worst souvenir stead. Suddenly, the fishing and

Morals of the story:

Fishing for Jesus

Words & Photo GEIDI RAUD On what brings him to Reykjavík “I’m from eastern Canada. I travel west each year to do some snowboarding but this is the first trip outside of my country. I came because the flight tickets were so cheap.

I had no other options where to travel, I just wanted to see Iceland.”

On his Iceland highlights “I will be here for ten days and I’m really enjoying the country. For me, the highlights are Gullfoss, Dettifoss and Westfjords. But I really like

here in Reykjavík too because the food is so good (especially fish) and also the people are really nice. I’m sad to leave, I want to stay in Iceland but I have to go to work. I will visit Iceland again, maybe in two years.”

On differences between Iceland and Canada “It’s colder in Canada! Here in Iceland it is really warm in summer.” (He really meant it!) “And what is more, it’s so weird that it doesn’t get dark at night.”

hunting gets better and everyone is happy, most especially Jesus and his ego.

they should stand up for themselves. They ignore her (like pussies) and keep running. Then she picks up a sword, turns to face the native army, whips out her tit (not even kidding), and begins smacking it with the sword. This sends the attackers running. Then all hail the fearless boob-warrior!

They decide that despite the land being good for farming, there are already people there and maybe it would be best to go back whence they came. The rest of the saga is fucking boring, so we’ll just leave it here as a lesson. Too bad it’s too late for Columbus to learn it.

Tit for tat They split into two teams to explore more, one team heading back north and promptly drowning while the other heads south and doesn’t drown. They set up in a nice forest and after encountering the natives, they begin to trade with them. This only lasts until one of their bulls escapes and scares the natives shitless.

They disappear and reappear to attack the Norsemen, who all run for their lives.

Freydís, Eiríkur’s daughter, yells that they’re all pussies and

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

DON'T ASK NANNA

MONSTER OF THE MONTH

Dvergur Dwarf

DON'T ASK NANNA

Don't Ask Nanna About Icelandic Names

Although the Prose Edda refers to dwarfs as being a kind of elf race, a clear distinction is made in folklore.

Dwarfs appear in numerous adventures and chivalric tales. They are excellent craftsmen, dependable and loyal to their friends but extremely vengeful if crossed. Great benefits can be reaped from their friendship. They are mainly distinguished from true elves by their shape and build. They have very short legs, a bulky body, no beard and a large head. They seem to manifest themselves as either human figures or spirits, and they always dwell in rocks. They don’t have the physical strength of elves, humans or trolls but compensate with their wisdom and craftsmanship. They avoid humans, and men must earn their friendship with gifts or persistence.

There are few tales of dwarfs told in Iceland, so they must be few in number compared to other kinds, such as elves and trolls.

"Monster of the Month" is a spin off of 'The Museum of Hidden Beings', by artist Arngrímur Sigurðsson. He delved into Iceland´s mythological history, taking creature encounters from across the centuries and bringing them to life through painting in an act of creative cryptozoology. Find the book at bookstores, or order it online at arngrimur.com.

LÓABORATORIUM

By NANNA DÍS ÁRNADÓTTIR Hey Nanna, I have a coworker who’s been calling me Pungur as a nickname—he means it as a term of endearment but I’ll be honest with you it annoys the shit out of me. Also—it’s kind of offensive.

Pungur Hey Pungur, Well clearly what he should have been calling you all this time is Píka because you’re nothing but a wimped out puss.

You are the product of our rampantly sensitive, grossly politically correct society.

When I was a young man growing up in 40’s we dealt with our problems with our knuckles like real men—now everyone’s using catchphrases like Toxic Masculinity and expecting me to understand what that means but I’m deeply fearful of change that threatens my white male privilege.

Are you one of those male feminists? I bet you are. You don’t deserve to be called Pungur, which is a MAN’S word, for MEN. Nanna Hey Nanna, I have a sneaking suspicion that the Icelandic Naming Committee will reject the name my partner and I picked out for our daughter—Arya. I can’t find it on the name register, but I’m not Icelandic, only my partner is—should I have to adhere to these rules just because she’ll be born here?!

Bun In The Oven Hey Bun In The Oven, A girl has no name.

Nanna MORE NANNA: gpv.is/NANNA

In the early morning hours on June 28, just after Iceland's victory over England in the Euro Cup, immigration authorities dragged two asylum from a church in order to deport them.

“Awesome experience”

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Represented artists: GUÐBJÖRG LIND JÓNSDÓTTIR HALLGRÍMUR HELGASON HÚBERT NÓI JÓHANNESSON JÓN ÓSKAR ÓLI G. JÓHANNSSON STEINUNN THÓRARINSDÓTTIR Also works by: HADDA FJÓLA REYKDAL HULDA HÁKON NÍNA TRYGGVADÓTTIR KRISTJÁN DAVÍÐSSON – among others

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Baldursgata 12 101 Reykjavík (at the corner of Baldursgata and Nönnugata, facing Þrír Frakkar Restaurant) Phone: +354 552 8822 +354 863 6860 +354 863 6885 art@tveirhrafnar.is www.tveirhrafnar.is Opening hours: Thu-Fri 12pm - 5pm, Sat 1pm - 4pm and by appointment +354 863 6860

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2016

59 TRAVEL

Distance from Rvk 145 km

with peeling red paint, half-hidden amongst the flora and rubble of this perfectly untouched wilderness.

a variety of obstacles and taking vertigo-inducing scrambles to find the onward route.

On high

Another world

The next day, we head out to hike the Tindfjöll circle, the longest route on the map. It begins with a walk up the Krossá valley. The flat grey expanse is unexpectedly colourful up close, with patches of orange moss, white-flowering anjelica and purple Arctic thyme growing amongst the earthy lava pebbles and ashen sand.

After an hour, the path enters a wooded mountainside, and quickly becomes a narrow, winding ledge, etched into the mountainside. We’re soon hundreds metres up on the wooden slope, scaling

The halfway point is a high, rain-lashed plateau studded with gleaming black pebbles. To our east, the Mýrdalsjökull glacier rears high above a foggy range of textured, pastel-coloured purple bulges and greenish mountains that recede gradually out of sight into the thick mist, and to the west we look down onto the top of Valahnúkur, which seems small, suddenly, from this elevated perspective.

The second half of the circle sees the path skirting the undulating lip of a spectacular canyon. We wind our way along the dizzyingly

high cliffs, crossing steep scree banks, pausing at a huge standing rock known as Tröllakirkja (“troll church”). The path vanishes intermittently, subsumed by frozen snow. We kick footholds into the ice to cross the sheer surface, testing with every step in case of water flowing beneath. The near-vertical drop to our right is dizzying and ever-present. The Tindfjöll circle is not for the faint of heart.

Eventually, we descend once more, walking down the peak of a long ridge into a glorious, bright red forest. The lights of the Volcano Huts appear in the distance, and we walk the last stretch looking forward to a long soak, a hot meal, and a final deep and wellearned sleep in this oddly moving and truly unforgettable place.

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ÍSAFJÖRÐUR ICELAND’S WESTFJORDS ARE ONLY 40 MINUTES AWAY

BOOK YOUR FLIGHT OR DAY TOUR AT AIRICELAND.IS

islenska/sia.is FLU 73263 03/15

How to get there: The bus runs May-October—book at via re.is

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